The Logical Conclusion
by Scented Candles
Summary: Hinata is passed over as heir and is heartbroken when the elders engaged Neji to Hanabi. To revive his clan, Sasuke needs a wife. He chooses Hinata for her bloodline but learns that there’s more to her than what he thought. Neji isn’t happy. NejiHinaSasu
1. Pretty Eyes

**The Logical Conclusion**

**Standard Disclaimers Apply**

Hinata is passed over as heir and is heartbroken when the elders engaged Neji to Hanabi. To revive his clan, Sasuke needs a wife. He chooses Hinata for her bloodline but learns that there's more to her than what he thought. Neji isn't happy. NejiHinaSasu

**Chapter One: Pretty Eyes**

Hinata had never really liked her eyes. There was even a point where she hated them in fact. Everything that had gone wrong in her life was somewhat tied to her eyes. When she was young, she had been kidnapped because the Cloud wanted the secrets of her eyes, her Byakugan. Her father had rescued her but as a result, her uncle Hizashi had to die. Her cousin Neji hated her and the Main House because he thought they killed his father, forced him to lay down his life.

That was all in the past of course, everything had been worked out.

But now and again, Hinata's feelings of hatred would resurface and as she stood there watching the ceremony that betrothed Neji to her sister Hanabi, Hinata had never hated her eyes more.

This was all happening because of her eyes. Because her eyes were weak, because she was not the strongest Byakugan user in the family and because she, Hyuuga Hinata, first born of the Main House of Hyuuga, was not worthy enough, strong enough, to be heir.

She shed no tear even though inside, she was breaking apart.

Crumbling was nothing new to Hinata, nor was pain.

It seemed to her sometimes as if she lived in a constant state of pain, sadness and shame broken only by little interludes of happiness here and there. Of course, there had been a point in her life when she thought the cycle had been broken.

Six years ago when she was twelve years old and she had brought tea to her father and Neji, uncle and nephew who were speaking after years of being estranged, Hinata had smiled to herself.

She had stood up to Neji during the Chuunin Exams and proven that she was not a quitter. She wasn't very strong but slowly, slowly she was starting to change herself. After that, Hiashi, Hinata's father, had given Neji the letter his father, Hizashi, had written for him. Neji now knew the truth surrounding his father's death and the hate and accusation that had bred and grown inside of him slowly drained away. It took time, years even, but the wounds were healing.

That simple gesture of sharing afternoon tea had said it all.

Hinata thought that perhaps, this, this was the beginning of happiness.

Her father had begun to teach Neji the secrets of the Main House fighting technique, something no Branch House member was supposed to learn. Neji in turn, began to help Hinata through her katas. Her cousin was a strict and exacting master, but under his watchful eyes she began to improve. He didn't lose his patience with her and he never told her how unworthy she was and how disappointed he was with her. All he ever said whenever she faltered was 'Will you prove them right Hinata-sama?'

No, of course not. She didn't want to prove them right. She didn't want to be weak. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to prove them wrong.

And so, each time she falls, each time her breath hitches in her throat and her limbs tremble from fatigue and all that she could think of is lying down and closing her eyes to rest, Hinata stands up despite the pain because that is her answer to Neji's question.

"_Will you prove them right Hinata-sama?"_

"_No Neji-niisan. I will prove them wrong." _

OOO

Three years ago when she passed the Chuunin exams at fifteen, Neji had taken her out to dinner. At sixteen, he was already an ANBU Captain and more than a few females in the village were struggling to catch his eye.

Hinata had been amused to see just how many admirers he had, as the two of them strolled together into town. Neji had chosen a quiet, dimly lit restaurant. It was obviously expensive, but as Hyuugas, the two of them had grown up in luxury and dining there was not so different from dining at home.

After dinner, the two of them had walked home but didn't immediately go inside the house. Hinata asked her cousin to accompany her for a walk to her private garden.

The Hyuuga estate was vast in size and at the very far end of the compound was a strip of land Hinata's mother had claimed as hers. There was an official Hyuuga garden, cared for and maintained by servants but Hinata's garden was special because her mother had planted it. After Hitomi's death, Hinata had taken it upon herself to continue to care for the garden; adding more varieties of flowers and herbs as she got older and learned to be more and more proficient. She spent countless hours there when not training; trimming, pruning, tilling the soil, pulling out weeds, watering the plants and making sure that each and every single one of her plants them were healthy. Whenever she had missions that took her away from Konoha, Hinata would always bring back some seedlings from varieties of flowers and plants that she had seen and liked.

As a result, her garden was even more beautiful than her mothers had been and Hinata had flowers and herbs that did not grow in Fire Country and could only be found either outside Konoha or at the Yamanaka flower shop.

It was quiet that night and the moon spilled its beams down through the thick blanket of branches and leaves that the trees provided them. When they passed the grove of trees and entered Hinata's garden, Hinata led Neji to a clearing and he saw that there was a small picnic blanket set up in the middle of the glade with a basket to one side.

"Hinata-sama?"

She smiled at him, shyly but happily. "P-Please take a seat, niisan," she said as she motioned to the blanket laid out in the grass.

Gingerly, Neji obeyed and watched as Hinata settled down across from him, busily pulling out glasses and plates from the picnic basket that she had left there earlier. He cocked an eyebrow as he watched her eyes twinkle as she took out square box and opened it, revealing a white colored cake topped by chocolate covered black cherries.

"I hope you like it."

Neji wasn't very fond of desserts; especially cake. They were too sweet and he didn't like the scratchy feeling it left in his throat after he ate. Hinata, lover of all things dessert had tried to prove to him that there was nothing better than having cake, and she surprised him one day when she made him a cherry and vanilla gateau.

He hadn't wanted to eat it but she'd insisted so he'd tried a bite. It wasn't too sweet, he actually quite enjoyed it and she smiled, pleased when he reached for another spoonful. It was the only dessert he ever ate and Hinata was the only one who ever made it for him.

The vanilla reminded him of Hinata's eyes and her skin.

The dark cherries were reminiscent of the bluish hue of her hair.

He lifted his eyes from the cake and met Hinata's. "Arigato. I will."

She blushed and averted her gaze, but she was smiling.

OOO

They were quiet for a long moment as they shared the dessert. Afterwards, Hinata packed up and they sat on the blanket drinking the tea she'd brought in a thermos. They sat side by side, looking up at the sky both of them pale skinned, dark haired and white eyed.

Hinata finally spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper because the silence in the air was so pure and fragile she was afraid to shatter the beauty of the moment. "Oniisan…"

"Hai?"

"A-Anou…I want t-to t-thank you."

"Doushite?" Neji asked, glancing at her and looking perplexed.

Hinata smiled, "For helping me change."

"I didn't help you change. No one can do that for you," Neji said as he turned away and gazed up at the sky. "You were the one who changed yourself Hinata-sama…I am proud of you."

Hinata was stunned by the praise and her face colored. "A-Arigato…" she reached into her pocket and gave him the gift she'd bought for him. She presented it to him with her head bowed. "Please accept this token of my gratitude niisan," she said softly. "You helped me train and you believed in me."

"It's not necessary Hinata-sama…"

Hinata looked at him through her dark bangs and shook her head. "P-Please, accept this g-gift in the s-spirit in which it is o-offered."

Neji looked at her and then at the gift in her hands before he lifted an eyebrow and smiled slightly, looking bemused. "Hai, Hinata-sama," he said as he accepted the tiny box. He untied the gold ribbon before unwrapping the silver paper carefully. Hinata waited with baited breath. It was a necklace of a thin platinum chain with a pendant of an eagle, with its wings outstretched as if soaring in the sky.

Neji lifted it carefully from the box and touched the pendant with his index finger.

"N-Niisan, I b-bought it b-because it m-made me t-think of y-you. S-someday, you will have your wings outstretched too a-and you c-can soar freely…" Hinata stammered, trying to explain.

"Hinata-sama…" he began, in an emotionless voice.

His tone was so deadpan that Hinata felt scared that perhaps he had taken her gift the wrong way. "P-Please, don't be mad Neji-niisan. I…I just…it's a token of m-my promise. W-When I a-am h-head, I promise I w-will do my best to, no I p-promise that no one else will ever be p-placed u-under the seal…"

"Hinata-sama…look at me…"

Hinata was to busy wringing her hands in anxiety, berating herself for picking out such a foolish gift and mumbling barely intelligible apologies that she didn't hear Neji nor did she realize that his tone was softer and gentler than what he normally used when speaking. She felt the tip of his finger on her chin as he turned her face his way and tilted her head up so her eyes met his. She opened her mouth to offer yet another apology but Neji lifted his other hand and placed the tips of his fingers over her lips to silence her.

"Shhh…" he said. "Let me speak first."

Hinata blushed, clamped her mouth shut and nodded.

Neji withdrew his hands from her. "What I was going to say before you interrupted was," he said his tone amused, 'Hinata-sama…domo arigato'."

Hinata sighed, relieved.

"You don't have to promise anything, Hinata-sama."

"Yes I do," Hinata answered solemnly as she thought about Sasuke and how Neji, Naruto, Kiba, Chouji and Shikamaru had almost died trying to retrieve him. Hinata was normally a very gentle and placid person but the amount of anger that had coursed through her when she learned that someone had actually punctured her Neji-niisan's body and that he had a _hole _on his shoulder had frightened her with it's intensity. Couple that with the fact that her precious Naruto-kun and her beloved friends Kiba and Akamaru as well as Shikamaru and Chouji had been injured was enough to make Hinata's emotions reach a state of acute anger with a modicum of hatred all directed toward the Uchiha Avenger.

He was still out there, with Orochimaru somewhere and Naruto and Sakura were both working hard to try and 'save' him. Hinata had never been close to Sasuke but she did remember him because he was her classmate even before the tragedy that had befallen his family had occurred. She had seen him sometimes when she was younger and their families had gotten together in some function or other. They were relatives in a way after all, albeit distant. The Uchihas had once, long ago, been a branch of the Hyuuga bloodline that had somehow deviated from the normal Byakugan. The Sharingan was a genetic hiccup that had proven to be a dominant gene.

Back then years ago when he was a lot younger and before the massacre had occurred, Sasuke hadn't been so bad. Hinata could remember him following his older brother around and being a normal child. It was only after Itachi had murmured the entire Uchiha clan, except for him, that Sasuke had become the cold, aloof person that he was.

Obsessed with Power.

Obsessed with Revenge.

No one knew exactly _why_ Itachi had murdered his clan but a lot of people had theories about it. Some believed it was because he was evil; it was as simple as that. Others thought perhaps his father had pushed him too hard to be perfect and that his mind had crumbled under the pressure. He had become a Shinobi too young and had advanced too fast. Itachi had been an ANBU captain at an age when those born the same year as he was were just starting their training at the academy and realizing exactly what it is to be a ninja and to kill. No one knew the reason why Itachi had killed his family and betrayed his village but one thing was for sure, no one wanted history to repeat itself.

The murder of an entire clan in a single night was devastating.

"The Hyuuga has to change," Hinata answered Neji after a moment of silence. "Some traditions have to be broken sooner or later or else, we as a family will fall. I…I don't want what happened to the Uchihas to happen to us."

"There is very little chance of that happening Hinata-sama. The curse seal serves as a safeguard against that. No one is strong enough to go against the main family, especially not with the seal."

Neji was strong enough, Hinata knew. He could probably kill every single one of the Main House members, he was the Hyuuga genius after all…but with the seal, he could be easily subdued.

What about in the future?

"Perhaps not now," Hinata ventured, "but sooner or later someone might figure out a way to over come the seal. I don't want our family to fall. Despite everything, I am still proud of who we are and what we stand for. Too many have died to preserve our name. Too many sacrifices have been made. It would be such a waste if all that ended up in nothing. I won't let Hizashi-sama's sacrifice go to waste."

OOO

It had been three years ago…three long years ago when she had made Neji that promise. It seemed she would not have the opportunity to keep it, since she was no longer the heir. Hinata had been passed over in favor of her younger sister Hanabi and it was to her that Neji, who had first been promised to Hinata, was now betrothed to.

Hinata's earlier betrothal to Neji had been tentative. Her father had announced it to both her and her cousin the week before she turned sixteen, a year after she'd reached the rank of Chuunin. Sixteen was the official marriageable age for a Hyuuga female and since she, Hinata, had been decided as unsuitable for the position of heir, she would be married to Neji so that he may help her lead the Clan. He was an Exemplary Hyuuga after all. The epitome of everything they should all strive to be.

The announcement had come as a surprise to them both, but yet not at all. Hinata and Neji had grown up in the House of Hyuuga and they had been born and bred in the manner and tradition of their family. It was actually quite logical, this decision of marriage and both of them did not mind very much that they would be tied together in such a way.

The mark on Neji's forehead declared that he belonged to Hinata after all and she in turn belonged to him.

Hinata was Neji's to protect and serve with his life.

The marriage was just another thing that would bind them together and though the specifics of the production of heirs was a topic both their young mind shied away from, the concept of leading and living a life together and working to change and rebuild the Hyuuga was something they both looked forward to.

A small bitter smile grazed Hinata's lips, so foreign in her countenance that if Kurenai-sensei or her teammates had seen it, they surely would have had doubts about the authenticity of Hinata's identity.

Change the Hyuuga?

Some things never change; Hinata was disgusted with herself that she was only learning this lesson now at eighteen years of age. How foolish she had been to hope. How could she, a weakling of a girl, stand against the indomitable tide of hundreds of years of Hyuuga tradition?

OOO

When she'd turned seventeen, Hinata was still Chuunin, having failed the Jounin Qualifying Exams. She had joined half-heartedly because it seemed expected of her, her father commenting about the amount of time she'd spent as a Chuunin and how she should start thinking about attaining a higher rank.

Hinata didn't care about ranking.

She was much happier working as a medical-nin in the hospital under the guidance of the Shizune-san and the help of the Godaime herself. Sakura, the Hokage's primary apprentice had been tasked, along with Naruto, to help Sasuke, their newly rescued and recovered teammate, reintegrate himself back into Konoha society.

Hinata had seen them now and again, Naruto talking loudly and walking along with Sakura with Sasuke between them, all three of them ignoring the fact that some people went out of their way to avoid their path and others pointed and whispered behind their hands as they walked past.

Uchiha Avenger 

_Traitor_

_Monster_

Sakura would stiffen, her cheeks coloring a bright red as she fumed and fought not to yell at the people around them. Naruto would keep his banter up, his pace not faltering. He was very used to such treatment and he knew the best way to cope was to ignore them and so he kept his loud conversation up and ushered Sasuke and Sakura along as if he was not aware of the looks and wide berth everyone was giving them.

Hinata went out of her way to meet them whenever she would see them on the streets, just to make up for other people's rudeness. She would blush and say hello to Naruto, Sakura and yes, even to Sasuke even thought she didn't like him that much.

All three would return her greeting and Naruto's eyes would twinkle a bit brighter and Sakura would have a look of gratitude in her green eyes for Hinata's small act of human compassion. Sasuke would scowl at her because he knew, he knew that she had greeted them, had walked up to them intentionally because she saw how everyone else was treating him and she felt pity for him.

Anger at Sakura and Naruto would simmer inside of him even though he knew it made no sense. Why was he angry with those he considered his friends? As much as they annoyed him with their overly bright smiles and desperate attempt to make it seem as if not everyone in the village despised him, Sasuke was honest enough with himself to admit that it helped.

They helped him turn his thoughts away from brooding and thinking too much about that bastard Orochimaru and the fact that his brother Itachi was still out there somewhere, alive instead of lying in a decaying pile of flesh six feet underground.

His Clan was still a long way from being revived.

The truth was, there really wasn't any Uchiha Clan anymore. How could there be, with only two members one of which was already disowned? Sasuke was the only one left and he couldn't be a Clan by himself.

Thinking about it made the seal itch and burn hot against his skin. The noise helped, and the people helped but it was so hard to forget that his two primary goals, after everything he had gone through to realize them, were still left unfulfilled.

Then here was this white-eyed Hyuuga girl he remembered as shy and pitiful, pathetic and weak.

How dare she look at him with pity?

He hated her.

Hinata saw this, but she was familiar with being hated and despised so his glare didn't bother her in the least. Most of her family and the people that she loved had hated Hinata and that had hurt; she didn't like Sasuke so it didn't matter to her if he hated her or not, just as long as she did the right thing; that was enough.

As the months passed, Hinata saw the change in people. Orochimaru had used Anko-san too but she wasn't half bad so maybe Sasuke would turn out all right as well. The females had been the first ones to forget about the betrayal and soon, most of the village remembered and acknowledged that in the end, Sasuke had made the right choice and he had gone back to Konoha.

Slowly, the dark haired Uchiha was welcomed back even though some people were still wary of him.

Naruto was lauded as a hero even though people still treated him with caution and a bit of lingering resentment, for what, Hinata did not know.

With Sasuke-s reentry into Konoha well under way, Sakura began to concentrate on her studies as medic-nin once more and she and Hinata both worked hard to perfect their craft of saving lives instead of taking it.

Hinata's Byakugan although not the sharpest in her clan, could still see the chakra pathways in a person's body and it was beneficial whenever she operated on an injured ninja. She was dedicated to her craft and skilled in the art of healing and though her fighting skills had improved dramatically, she was still more a doctor than a soldier.

Because she was not a strong warrior, therefore by her family's standards, she was weak.

Hanabi, by this time was already twelve years old and had graduated as the Number One Rookie from the ninja academy. She and her team had been voted to take the Chuunin Exams and she had passed with flying colors. Everyone was proud of her and they celebrated her strength and accomplishment with much enthusiasm. Hinata had been very happy and proud of her younger sister.

She was seventeen and Hanabi was twelve and they were both Chuunin.

Later on, that same year, the Council convened to discuss the future of the Clan.

It was then that it was decided that Hinata be stripped of her title as heir and the honor be given to Hanabi. Hinata had been fine with it until she learned that along with her birthright, they were also going to take Neji away from her. It was a shock and her heart had rebelled but even as she struggled to get the words of protest out, she knew she couldn't.

They wouldn't listen to her and she didn't have the right to stand in the way of her clan's future.

That would have been selfish and self-serving and Hinata wasn't like that.

Neji was needed to help guide the clan, he knew what it was to be a Branch House member and he would understand the concerns and issues that divided the clan. To be married to Hanabi who was Hiashi's successor and the future leader, meant that he would be in the position of power where in he could implement the changes that were so badly needed within the structure of the clan.

And so Hinata had stayed silent and watched as Hanabi and Neji were both called into the room with her.

Hinata had stayed silent as the Council explained the new arrangement.

Hinata had stayed silent as Hanabi's eyes grew fractionally wider and flash with something unnamed just before she turned towards her older sister, her white eyes meeting Hinata's briefly before looking away again.

Hinata had stayed silent as she watched the muscles in Neji's arms tense and his back stiffened and she bowed her head when he tilted his head a fraction so his eyes could meet hers.

OOO

That had been several months ago and in the time between then and now, Hinata had spent most of her days at the hospital, taking extra shifts and working herself to exhaustion just so by the time she was able to drag herself back home, she would only have to collapse in bed before sleep finally claimed her. There were even times when she didn't make it home, she just collapsed on one of the empty beds in the hospital, so tired was she. On those days when Shizune would force Hinata to take a day off and rest, she would spend as little of her time at home as possible, preferring to spend her day with her friends that with her family.

The Hyuuga House had never been a home to her.

The halls were filled with too many prying eyes and wagging tongues that spoke of the disgrace that was their heir, the first born who in all the history of the family, was not chosen to lead. There were those who pitied her and those who thought that it was only right that she be set-aside for someone stronger and more talented. Hinata didn't care anymore what they thought of her; she was too tired.

All her life she'd tried to please her family, to make them proud, but nothing she did was ever good enough and she knew, as she watched her father place Hanabi's hand in Neji's, that it was time to stop trying.

Neji and Hanabi's engagement ceremony was a small and solemn family affair.

Later on, there would be a larger celebration to honor Neji and Hanabi's betrothal as it was formally announced to the village. Hinata was expected to announce that she was passing over her birthright as heir to her sister as well as to congratulate both Hanabi and Neji for their engagement.

Perhaps she should be grateful that her father and the council of Elders were at least allowing her the courtesy to save face, to step down gracefully from her position. They could have just announced Hanabi as heir, they didn't need to make her formally renounce it as if it was her choice but in allowing her to do so, they were at least giving her a little bit of dignity.

Hinata started to think about what she would say then. One of her older aunts, Hitomi, who was a member of the Council, had been helpful enough to give Hinata some tips regarding she speech she would make in a few weeks at the upcoming celebration.

_With Hanabi's betrothal to Neji, I feel as if the two of them would better lead the clan than I alone. By renouncing my position as heir and future Clan Head, I am not giving up the responsibility for the Clan but am instead thinking of the greater good of Hyuuga. All of us have a responsibility to look out for the future of our family and by doing this, I am doing my part in ensuring that the Hyuuga House remain as it is. Strong. _

It sounded quite nice.

Now, Hinata only had to make sure she didn't start crying when she finally delivered the lie in front of everyone she knew.

Naruto may have been strong enough change the way people perceived him, but Hinata didn't think that she was. She didn't seem to have the same indomitable spirit as him. She was tired and all she wanted now was to live her own life away from her Clan. Hinata made her choice then, as she listened to thirteen year old Hanabi swear, in a solemn voice, that she would protect and uphold the Clan name and all it was to be a Hyuuga.

Hinata knew she needed to leave.

The festivities would take a few weeks to arrange so she had time to look for a place to stay. After her speech and official renouncement of her title, she would have fulfilled her obligation to the family and she could leave them. She could leave…she needed to leave. She couldn't bear to be in the same house with them anymore, under the same roof.

She would have to leave her garden and the thought made Hinata's heart lurch as she imagined to weeds growing and choking each flower and plant she had painstakingly raised from the ground up. All her work, all the love she'd put in the endeavor would go to waste. Maybe Neji-niisan could have someone take care of it for her. She would need to talk to him later, to say good-bye.

Hanabi too.

Hinata didn't hate her sister because Hanabi, as strong as she was, was caught in the same web of destiny all Hyuuga children were born into. They were all in the same positions, pawns in the game of life and strength and weakness and death. All for the Byakugan and all for the family and all for the sake of black haired, white eyed, pale skinned children that would serve as the future of the Clan. Children with talent, strength and strong blood coursing through her veins: children that, Hinata hoped, would not have to fear the curse seal.

If her nieces and nephews can live without fear and if the future of the clan and the children about to be born into the family would be devoid of conflict, dissatisfaction and fear, then perhaps Hinata, Neji and Hanabi's sacrifices would be worth it.

No one else had to go through this manipulation again….

Hopefully…

OOO

"Hinata-san…Hinata-san…"

Hinata blinked at the sound of someone calling her name and she realized she'd been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed that the ceremony was over and that everyone was headed towards where Neji and Hanabi were, to greet them and offer well wishes. Hinata smiled at her Aunt Akiko, one of the members of the Main House and a Council Elder who had always been distantly kind to her. At least, Akiko-san had never showed displeasure when she looked at Hinata.

Hanabi was too young, she was only thirteen, not old enough to be married but once she hit sixteen, three years from now, she would be wed to Neji in what would undoubtedly be the grandest wedding in Konoha.

When Hiashi steps down as the Clan Head, Hanabi and Neji would take his place.

Hinata was too old to receive the curse seal.

It was placed at a young age for a reason.

She wondered if they would still try?

Would she survive?

As a member of the main family and the older sister, Hinata was the first one to greet Hanabi and Neji after her father. She walked towards the center of the crowd acutely aware of the eyes trained her way. The room was quiet as everyone watched her progress and Hinata prayed that she didn't trip on the hem of her kimono. She gave a silent prayer of thanks as she reached her destination without accident and stood in front of her sister and her cousin.

She bowed respectfully to them and murmured the proper words of congratulations and hopes for a wonderful, fruitful future together. She leaned forward to place a ceremonial kiss on her younger sister's cheek and was surprised to feel two arms wrap themselves around her neck.

Hinata stiffened, her eyes wide.

This was not part of the ceremony.

It wasn't for show.

It was…it was _real._

Her body relaxed and she sank into Hanabi's embrace, her arms coming up to encircle the span of her sister's body. It was the first time she and her sister had embraced but somehow, it did not feel awkward at all.

"I'm sorry Hinata," Hanabi whispered in a soft voice. "I didn't want this to happen, I promise."

Hanabi, the younger sister she never had the opportunity to get to know very well. Hinata closed her eyes, her arms tightening around the younger girl as she whispered. "It's okay."

Both girls let go and they bowed to each other.

Hinata stood in front of Neji and bowed again. "Congratulations Oniisan," she whispered softly. She lifted her head and met his eyes because he always told her to look people right in the eye when she spoke. "I wish you the greatest of happiness."

Something flashed in Neji's eyes but he was quiet as he nodded and murmured his appreciation and thanks.

Hinata stepped aside and the line progressed as each Hyuuga member from the Main House and then the Branch, stepped up to congratulate the two.

OOO

Neji walked back into his room, in the Branch House and closed the door softly. No ANBU mission had ever left him feeling so drained as he did right at that moment. His mother had asked after his health and all he'd had the strength to do was to quietly smile at her and say that he was fine. Both of them knew it was a lie. Neji felt anything but fine. It was as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders and for the first time in Neji's life, he doubted his strength.

There was a mirror on one side of his simple, Spartan room and he walked towards it, reaching up for the band of dark cloth that concealed the cursed seal that marred his forehead. With slow, careful motioned, he unwrapped the cloth and exposed the mark and with candid eyes, he studied himself.

More and more, he was starting to look like his father.

Even his eyes had the same sad look Neji remembered seeing in his father's eyes sometimes whenever Hizashi looked at Hinata and him when they were younger and still played together. He hadn't been able to tell exactly what that look meant back then, but now Neji understood only too well. It was resigned acceptance of unavoidable responsibility and fate.

Some things could be changed, but others could not.

Fate could be changed but there were some responsibility that one cannot turn one's back on, no matter how painful.

Neji took of the ceremonial clothes he wore and folded them carefully before placing them in the box from which they came. It was his father's garments. The same ones he wore when he had been betrothed to Neji's mother, Namiko.

His father had promised him that one day, he would be free.

Hinata had promised him that one day, he would soar freely.

When he was younger, Neji had wanted to be part of the Main House, thought it was his right. He was strong, he was worthy, why should he be caged and sealed and have to live and die to protect those who were not even half as good and talented as he was?

As he matured, Neji had come to accept the cage he was born into and he had learned to move within its parameters, making use of the space he was allowed. It wasn't so bad to be caged really, because it was Hinata who was the lock and it was she who had the key and she had promised to set him free.

Even if she opened the door, Neji realized he would still have stayed by her side.

He owned her, she belonged to him, had belonged to him from the moment she'd peeked out from behind her father and had smiled at him. Neji had claimed her then.

Hinata was his and he was Hinata's.

He _wanted _to belong to her.

But he belonged to Hanabi now.

No.

Not Hanabi.

He belonged to the Clan as did Hanabi and Hinata, and they were all moved by the will of the Clan and it dictated that their wants and desires were second only to the greater good of the Hyuuga.

Growing up, for all his anger, Neji had still been proud to be a Hyuuga and had done his best to uphold his family's stellar reputation. Hinata had told him when she was fifteen that despite everything, she still loved their Clan and everything the Hyuugas stood for. Neji had agreed with her then, but as he stood beside Hanabi and watched Hinata approach them and bow her head, he felt his love for his Clan, already cracked because of his father's death and the seal they imposed upon him, shatter like glass.

He had been surprised when Hanabi had raised her arms to embrace her sister but he knew Hinata would return the embrace, there was no question of that.

That moment when Hinata had raised her eyes to meet his and had smiled that soft smile of hers and wished him all the happiness in the world, Neji had wanted nothing more than to go on a killing spree starting with Hiashi and followed swiftly by the Council of Elders.

He didn't of course, not because he feared the curse seal but because he remembered Hinata's words that night three years ago.

"_I…I don't want what happened to the Uchihas to happen to us…"_

Neji closed her eyes, his hand reaching up to unconsciously clasp the intricately carved image of an eagle with its wing outstretched as if soaring freely through the sky. It hung in a simple platinum chain, suspended right over his heart.

"_The Hyuuga has to change. Some traditions have to be broken sooner or later or else, we as a family will fall. I…I don't want what happened to the Uchihas to happen to us. I don't want our family to fall. Despite everything, I am still proud of who we are and what we stand for. Too many have died to preserve our name. Too many sacrifices have been made. It would be such a waste if all that ended up in nothing. I won't let Hizashi-sama's sacrifice go to waste." _

"Neither will I," Neji promised.

OOO

To Be Continued… 

OOO

**A/N: **This could probably stand as a one-shot huh? Anyway, I love NejiHina but I like SasuHina too so I made this fic. Not much of SasuHina in this chapter but this is more or less a prologue. Anyway, did you guys enjoy it? Please review. If you think I should continue this fic, or leave it alone then please feel free to tell me. If you want to read more of this story, then review please and let me know. Thanks.


	2. The Paths We Follow

**The Logical Conclusion**

**Chapter Two: **The Paths We Follow

"Hai, see you tomorrow Shizune-san," Hinata said with a bow as she gathered her things and went out of the hospital. Hinata shifted a bit and arranged her backpack to a more comfortable position on her shoulder. She'd have to talk to her father soon about moving out. Neji too. She wondered how they would react to her decision? She hoped Neji doesn't get mad, he was always so concerned about her.

The preparations for the festivities were well under way and Hinata still hadn't found a place she could move to. She hadn't told her friends about stepping down from being heir, she still had time anyway and she didn't feel up to it. Not yet. She didn't tell them about her broken betrothal to Neji either since none of them had known about it in the first place. Both Hinata and Neji had decided they keep it between themselves first and wait for a while before telling the others. It was awkward enough at first with only the two of them knowing, it would be really weird if their friends found out as well.

The image of tears of joy running down Lee's face as he cried and went on and on about the flower of youth blossoming into love was an image Hinata could do without. Neji had looked horrified at the prospect and Hinata couldn't help but smile as she recalled her cousin's disgusted snort as they mused over their teammates reactions to their betrothal.

"_Ten-Ten would wonder…it's not everyday you marry your cousin…but Lee will probably go into hysterics and do poses…"_

"_Kiba and Shino would understand to some extent. They're both from Clans after all so they're used to such procedures…"_

"_Only up to a point. It's different when the Clan has a bloodline limit to protect."_

"_Uhm."_

It was a good thing they hadn't said anything. The betrothal had been broken after all and in a couple of week, everyone would know that Hanabi was the official Hyuuga heir and that Neji was engaged to her.

Hinata sighed.

Her relationship with Neji stayed more or less the same even after the Council's pronouncement, although there were some awkward moments between them when they thought too much about the new arrangement.

Neji and Hanabi.

It just felt wrong. Hinata really didn't know what she felt about her cousin. She loved him as her cousin, she liked him as a person and she was used to the idea of being married to him one day, she didn't mind. He was her friend, her companion, her cousin, her Neji-_niisan _and she felt comfortable with him and at peace…

But it didn't explain the queer ache she felt whenever she would see him and think about how he would no longer be her husband.

Neji and Hanabi.

Hanabi and Neji.

It was strange.

_He's mine._

Despite them having other friends, Hinata would most often spend her time with Neji and he with her when they weren't busy and she knew that not having him with her most of the time would feel…_different_. Lonely. He was always there, protective and concerned; a silent reassuring presence that gave her strength. He wasn't the most talkative person in the world, but he was one of the people whom Hinata could relax around. He knew her already. The good, the bad, he understood everything and she didn't have to explain herself. With a look, a smile, he would know what she was thinking. There was a myriad of ways that silence could be interpreted and Hinata knew the meaning of each and every single one of Neji's.

When he didn't have a mission, when he wasn't training, when he wasn't attending to his duties…he would seek her out even just to see how she was doing, if her taijutsu had improved, what she'd been up to. Hinata was the same way with him. He always said he was tasked to be her protector so that was why when he wasn't busy training or performing his duty to the Hokage and Konoha, Neji would be seen with her.

Now he didn't need to be with her anymore.

Hinata was no longer heir and it was Hanabi that Neji would need to protect.

"Oh, you're still here Hinata?"

She hadn't even heard Sakura approach; just another one of her failings as a kunoichi, Hinata thought with a small mental sigh. She turned to Sakura and bowed politely. She wasn't very close to Sakura even though they had been classmates at the Academy and were both under the tutelage of the Hokage. Sakura could normally be seen with her teammates Sasuke and Naruto and Hinata didn't spend much time with them so she never did get to know Sakura that well.

Truth be told, what she had seen of Sakura when they were younger, Hinata hadn't really liked that much. She'd always been slightly indifferent to Sakura. To Hinata, Sakura was just another one of those girls who declared her undying love to Sasuke, a boy who was so obviously not interested. The only difference between Sakura and the other Sasuke fan girls was that Sakura was lucky enough to have Naruto's attention, something Hinata had dearly wanted for herself. Hinata didn't like the way Sakura treated Naruto back then but there was nothing she could have done.

There was a point in time though, when Hinata's indifference to Sakura had bled over into acute dislike. It was when Sasuke had left and Naruto had had to promise Sakura that he would bring Sasuke back. Sakura had cried and cried for Sasuke's return and Hinata had been so angry at the unfairness of it all.

What about Naruto-kun? Was no one going to think of him? His ninja way was never to go back on his word and he would most likely rather die than fail to bring Sasuke back. Naruto might be strong, but he wouldn't want to really harm or kill Sasuke. Hinata was quite certain that the Uchiha had no such reservations regarding Naruto.

In those days, Hinata had loved Naruto so much and she'd been so hurt that he would risk his life like that…and that Sakura let him.

But that was years ago and it didn't have any merit now. Still, no matter how nice and sweet everyone thought Hinata was, she was still human and she wasn't above feeling a bit of dislike here and there.

However, Hinata knew that people changed. She liked to think that she had and Neji's behavior towards her and the family had improved immensely. No, she didn't know Sakura very well but she respected Sakura's skill as a medic and her attitude seemed much improved and as for Sakura's inexplicable strong feelings towards Sasuke, well Hinata couldn't really begrudge her that. Just because she didn't understand why Sakura could like Sasuke didn't mean it was wrong.

After all, Hinata herself had once harbored an unrequited love for a certain blonde haired Shinobi with aspirations to become Hokage some day…and everyone hadn't been able to figure out exactly what she saw in the 'loudmouth dead-last' either.

It was his spark, his life, his hope and confidence. His steadfast belief in his dreams inspired her and that was why she liked Naruto and mistook her admiration for him as actual 'love'. Maybe Sasuke had a similar effect on Sakura or maybe Sakura saw something in him that Hinata herself could not. Whatever it was, it wasn't any of her business anyway. She smiled at the pink haired kunoichi. "Hello Sakura-san. Are you waiting for Naruto-kun and Uchiha-san?"

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Hai."

OOO

The bulk of Konoha's deadliest Shinobi population was made up of the members of different Clans. Families, who through the years, had learned to develop, master and specialize in techniques unique only to their own race. Of course that didn't mean that a person from an ordinary family would not be a good ninja, it was just that those born in Clans of Shinobis had sort of a head start in that they were weaned in the ways of their clan's fighting styles, techniques and beliefs.

The two prominent Clans in Konoha were the Byakugan users the Hyuugas and of course, their distant relatives, the Uchihas who were blessed with the Sharingan. There were debates and arguments stemming from the question of which clan was supreme, more noble, had the better bloodline limit. Now however, the arguments had dwindled down seeing as there were longer any Uchihas left alive except for Itachi, the S-Class Missing Nin and Sasuke, the younger brother who had vowed to kill him.

Everyone called him _the_ Uchiha.

He wasn't an Uchiha.

He was _the _Uchiha.

Like he was the only one remaining Uchiha.

It wasn't true.

Itachi was still out there somewhere, the bastard. He was still alive and who knew what the fuck he'd been doing all these years? For all Sasuke knew, Itachi had already spawned a child or two and Sasuke might have illegitimate nieces and nephews running around somewhere, mothered by another S-Class missing nin with fucked up morals and a skewed way of viewing the world. Who knows, maybe one day he'd get to meet them. They might go and launch an attack on Konoha to try and get Naruto and release the Kyuubi for their dear old dad.

They might even drop by here to visit their uncle Sasuke.

The noble Clan of Uchiha and it had all come down to this.

Sasuke walked past the empty streets of the Uchiha residential district as he headed back out into town after taking a shower and changing his clothes. He wondered why he even bothered, he felt tired and he wasn't very interested in eating but he knew if he didn't show up, Naruto and Sakura would find some way to force him out of his house.

This nightly visit to the hospital to pick up Sakura before they all went out to dinner was just another one of their ploys to get him out more. He didn't really mind as much as he thought he would. It was slightly annoying, but he had to admit that it was better than sitting alone in his house and looking out of his window at the darkened streets and the empty houses that lined the Uchiha district of Konoha. Once before, those same houses had been lit from within with sounds of laughter and arguments and the noise that living, normal people made as they went about their everyday lives.

Now it was empty and all that was left were memories and ghosts and a lone figure sitting in a dimly lit house lost in thought of revenge and dreams of the future wherein the houses would be filled with noise and people once more.

It was all Itachi's fault, the bastard.

Even after everything Sasuke had undergone; leaving Konoha which was his home, training with Orochimaru, the curse seal…even after all the shit he'd put up with just so he could get stronger and attain his goals…he was still no closer to avenging his family and killing Itachi and he was still a long way away from reviving his clan.

Damn it, the seal was starting to itch again.

OOO

"Hi Sakura-chan! Sasuke will be a little late. So did you miss me?" Naruto asked as he turned a corner and jogged forwards, grinning that infamous smile of his.

"That Naruto! He'll never change!" Sakura said with a sigh as she tried to gesture for Naruto to quiet down near the hospital grounds. Several people were giving him looks and shushing him but Naruto seemed oblivious.

Hinata smiled slightly at the enthusiastic blonde, "I-I think that's a good thing Sakura-san," she said softly.

Sakura glanced at the Hyuuga heiress in surprise. Oh yes, she remembered Hinata as having a crush on Naruto when they were still genin. Sakura wondered if that crush had carried over to adulthood as well?

"What were you trying to say Sakura? I couldn't understand you," Naruto said as he stopped by Sakura. He glanced at Hinata and grinned at her. "Hi Hinata-chan, haven't seen you in a while, how's it going?"

"I'm doing fine, Naruto-kun," Hinata answered.

"I like your hair like that, you're growing it longer?"

Hinata's cheeks turned rosy, "A-Actually I was supposed to have it cut two weeks ago b-but I haven't had the time…"

"Oh that's a shame, you look so much cuter with your hair longer like that. That ribbon looks nice on you."

He said it so matter-of-factly that it was obvious he wasn't doing it to flirt; he was just stating what he thought of as true. Sakura grinned to herself as she watched Hinata blush and reach up to touch the ribbon she'd been using to keep her bangs out of her eyes.

"T-Thank you Naruto-kun. Ino-chan gave me the ribbon."

Sakura's was surprised at the mention of her old friend. She hadn't realized Ino and Hinata had become close. Sakura and Ino had drifted apart over the years but Sakura could still remember the time when they'd both been young and Ino had been her only friend. Ino had given her a bright, red ribbon to wear and told her that she was cute. Sakura had worried about her forehead being too big but Ino brushed her worries aside.

"_The more you think and worry about it, the more other kids will tease you. Besides, you look cute even with a rather prominent forehead so it's okay. Don't let their teasing get to you."_

Ino had been the first person to ever be nice to her and Sakura had thrown it away, all for Sasuke and because she was tired of staying in Ino's shadow all the time. Sakura had wanted space to grow and blossom. She still loved Sasuke and she wanted to shine on her own but sometimes she would think back and she would wish that she hadn't been so harsh…that she hadn't severed her ties with Ino so completely. She would not give up Sasuke, no, but she wished she didn't have to give up Ino as well.

"Sakura-san, are you alright?"

"Aa, hai Hinata."

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, Sasuke's going to show up, he just needed to change his clothes. They got torn during training today."

Sakura smiled at Naruto and nodded. She still worried about Sasuke but she knew he was getting better. The people of Konoha seemed to be accepting him well again and his fan girls seemed to have become even more numerous now, if that was even possible. She sighed inwardly, even more competition, great.

But there were still those who couldn't forgive so easily, people who feared Sasuke and feared that his presence in Konoha would prompt an attack from Orochimaru. Whenever they went out, they would still encounter odd looks from some people. Sakura sometimes marveled at her teammates.

One was the vessel of Kyuubi whom the Akatsuki were after while the other was an infamous Avenger bearing the curse seal of a Legendary Sanin and who had been poised to become the vessel of said Sanin, Orochimaru.

It was so hard.

With Naruto, it was easy enough. He was always happy and he seemed to carry the burden of ostracism well. He had friends and he was open and friendly and he wasn't one to dwell on his troubles. With Sasuke, it was different. Sakura wished that Sasuke would just open up to her. She loved him so much and she'd do everything, anything to make him happy. It was so frustrating that he seemed to want to carry his burden alone. She knew she and Naruto were closer to him than anyone else, she and Naruto were his friends but Sakura wanted to be so much more for him.

"Sakura-chan, hey Sakura-chan, you okay?"

"Yes Naruto, I'm fine," Sakura answered.

"You seem to be spacing out a lot," Naruto commented. "Don't worry, Sasuke's coming, hey look there he is!" Naruto said nudging her. "Although why you'd want to eat with him when I'm here is beyond me."

Good old Naruto, always there to distract her from her woes. Sakura smiled and rolled her eyes at his antics. "Shut up Naruto, don't be so loud near the hospital." She glanced up and saw Sasuke striding over to them wearing dark black pants and a blue shirt with a high collar, the Uchiha crest stitched on the side of the sleeve. As usual, the sight of him left Sakura feeling weak.

He was just so darkly beautiful; so tragic.

It broke her heart.

Naruto kept his smile up even when he saw Sakura's eyes soften and her lips turn up into a smile at the sight of Sasuke. Naruto didn't like it, but as long as Sakura kept smiling like that, then he would endure. He didn't ever want to see her cry again.

Not EVER.

Hinata's eyes saw all the little shifts in the two's expressions. She didn't need Byakugan to have insight into this situation. She looked down at her feet feeling uncomfortable to have witnessed what seemed like private feelings flash across her friends' faces. It felt like she had violated their privacy in some way, unintentional as it may be.

Naruto turned to Hinata and smiled, "Hey Hinata-chan, why don't you come on and have dinner with us?"

"Huh?"

Sakura turned and smiled. "Yeah, do you have anywhere else to go tonight?"

"No…not really…"

Sakura grinned, "Then you should definitely come with us! It would be fun!" She'd spent so much time with Naruto and Sasuke that she hadn't really had any female companionship other than Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san. It would be nice to be with someone her own age, a former classmate no less. "Don't worry Hinata, we won't have Ramen. It's my turn to pick where we eat dinner tonight and we can go to whichever restaurant you want."

"And you want Ramen, right Hinata? I remember I always saw you whenever I went to the Ramen Shop…"

Hinata's face colored at the reminder of her younger days when she did all she could to 'stalk' Naruto without being overt about it. "Uh…right…" she murmured, touching a palm to her hot cheek. Maybe she should join them for dinner. She didn't have anything else to do today anyway and she didn't want to go home yet. She avoided dining at home as much as she could nowadays. It was too awkward and she didn't want to sit there in silence with everyone else and pretend that everything was fine when they were taking everything away from her.

"So, you'll come with us?" Naruto prompted eagerly. He'd thought Hinata was weird before but she was really nice and he liked her because she wasn't like the others. She never looked down on him and she always tried to help him out. "I'll even treat you!"

"You don't have to if you're busy," Sakura added so as not to pressure Hinata. "But Naruto doesn't offer to pay very often so I think you should take advantage of the opportunity."

"Hey! I'm not stingy…!"

"Of course not. It's just that you don't have money most of the time…with the amount of Ramen you consume…" Sakura teased.

Hinata smiled at them and was about to agree to go when she spotted an approaching figure and she smiled in surprise. "Neji-niisan!"

OOO

Sasuke walked at a much leisurely pace and he reached the group at the tail end of the conversation his teammates had been having with the Hyuugas.

"Shut up Naruto," Sakura said. "We're not eating Ramen this time. We're eating good, healthy, nutritious food!"

"Well, maybe we can go out n-next time neh?" Hinata said with a soft smile.

"Hey you should come to Neji!" Naruto said.

"We'll see."

Sasuke stepped up beside Naruto and studied the two Hyuugas as they both acknowledged his presence; Neji with a slight nod and Hinata with a bow and a murmured 'Uchiha-san'. The older one, Neji, had been a good fighter and Sasuke wondered how much he'd improved since the Chuunin exams all those years ago. Sometimes it amazed him how long he'd been gone from Konoha and how much everyone had changed and how some things stayed exactly the same.

The younger one, the girl Hinata, had been in his class at the Academy. He never did pay much attention to her before, but he was a ninja and he prided himself in being aware of his environment so of course, even though he was wasn't interested in what was going on around him, he was at least aware of them.

He knew Hinata used to look at Naruto all the time, stutter and blush at his presence and the dobe was too clueless to notice it.

For as long as Sasuke could remember, Hinata had stuttered. It was a sign of insecurity and weakness and he felt she was too old not to have kicked the habit by now.

_His parents had brought him over to the Hyuuga Estate for a gathering and he had slipped away from the adults because it was boring. He started to explore the large expanse of land and came upon a garden where he saw a little girl with dark hair that shone blue in the sunlight. "What's your name?" Sasuke asked as he bounded forward. He couldn't find Itachi anywhere and maybe the girl had seen him. When she turned towards him, he was surprised to see her eyes. "What's the matter with your eyes?" he asked, "Are you blind?"_

_The girl's face flushed a deep scarlet. "N-No…m-my eyes just look like this. E-Everyone in my family has the same eyes."_

"_Oh. Well my name is Sasuke and I'm four years old. What's your name?"_

"_Hi-Hinata. I-I'm t-three years old but I'll be f-four too, in December."_

"_Oh, you're younger than me. Have you seen my Oniisan? He looks like me but bigger. His name's Itachi."_

_Hinata shook her head. "I have an Oniisan too. I've been looking for my Neji-niisan but I can't find him anywhere. A-are you m-my c-cousin?"_

"_I don't know. I'm an Uchiha."_

"_U-Uchiwa?"_

"_No. Uchiha."_

"_Uchi-aaaaaaa."_

_Sasuke shook his head. "Not Uchi-aaaaaaa. Uchiha."_

_Hinata's brows crinkled as she concentrated, "Uchi…Uchiha."_

_Sasuke nodded. "That's right. What about you? What's your Family's name?"_

"_Hyuuga. I'm a Hyuuga." She looked a bit sad. "I guess…I guess we're not cousins after all."_

"_Don't be sad. We can play pretend if you like. You can be my sister just as long as you don't act all yucky and chase me around."_

_Hinata looked confused. "W-Why would I d-do that?"_

_Sasuke shrugged. "I dunno, some girls do. It's weird. And they yell my name out loud sometimes. Like this, 'Sasuke-kuuun!'" he made a face._

"_O-Oh. I w-won't s-shout your name Uchiha-san."_

Later, while going home, Sasuke had told his parents about meeting Hinata. "_She's very quiet and when she talks, she talks funny and she calls me Uchiha-san."_

"Well thank you again for the invitation, Naruto-kun, Sakura-san," Hinata bowed and thanked them politely before bidding them goodbye. She gave Sasuke a bow and a polite 'Uchiha-san' before turning to leave with Neji.

"It's good to see that Hinata's on good terms with Neji now," Sakura commented as the two Hyuugas faded from view.

Sasuke started to walk in the opposite direction towards the restaurants and the other two fell in step beside him.

"Of course! And it's all thanks to me! I promised Neji that when I'm Hokage, I'd help change the Hyuugas and with Hinata as heir, we can all work together to make it happen."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto and raised an eyebrow.

At Sasuke's look, Sakura began to explain what had happened. "You were taken to the hospital so you didn't see the match between Hinata and Neji during the first Chuunin exams we took Neji tried to…"

OOO

"When did you get back from you mission niisan?"

"Just a little while ago."

"Uhm…" Hinata fiddled with the strap of her bag. Neji had offered to hold it for her but she needed something to occupy her hands. When she was nervous, she tended to revert to her childhood habit of playing with her fingers. She could have stopped herself from doing so with conscious thought but sometimes, Hinata felt as if the constant motion of her hands helped her think somewhat and it calmed her. "A-Anou…you didn't have to come pick me up anymore. I mean, you have no responsibility anymore Neji-niisan. I'm no longer heir."

"You are until the ceremony," Neji said with a shrug. "Besides, I swore to protect you Hinata-sama. Not the heir to the Hyuuga. I swore to my father that I would protect Hinata-sama with my life and I intend to do that."

"You would also be needed to protect the heiress of Hyuuga. It would be hard to do both niisan."

"Do you doubt my capabilities Hinata-sama?" Neji asked with a raised eyebrow, a smirk on his lips.

Hinata smiled and shook her head. "Iie."

Neji glanced down at Hinata. He had three years, but to Neji, it didn't seem nearly enough time. He didn't want to marry Hanabi. If given the choice, he would prefer to marry Hinata instead. His relationship with Hinata was complex and filled with so many nuances and subtleties that only they could ever understand. Theirs was a relationship of camaraderie, understanding, friendship and acceptance forged in the fires of anger, resentment, hatred and pain.

When he'd learned that he was to be betrothed to Hinata, a part of him had been surprised but the more logical part of his brain had somewhat expected it. Of course the Main Family would want to keep his skills within the Main House. He'd heard talk of it through the years so he wasn't so surprised when Hiashi told him about the arrangement. Hinata had been anxious and she asked for his forgiveness but Neji honestly told her that it was all right.

He didn't have romantic feelings for his cousin. In fact, if he hadn't been betrothed to her, Neji wouldn't have thought of asking Hinata to marry him. They suited each other well, he liked her company and he liked to have her in his life but that could have been accomplished simply by staying friends. Still, now that the circumstance had been forced upon him and Hinata, it didn't seem so bad. He wouldn't mind spending the rest of his life with her. How he and Hinata would go about producing the heirs for the next generation was a topic he'd shoved as far away from his mind as he could. A part of him always screamed that this was 'Hinata' she was his baby cousin and he shouldn't be thinking such Hentai thoughts about her. Neji agreed so he and his conscience came to the conclusion that such thoughts of procreation should be held at bay until the such time that it was needed to manifest itself.

Ergo, the thought of Hinata and the mechanics of sex should not be thought of until the wedding night…

With that in mind, he'd gone about as usual. He didn't alter the way he treated Hinata and he went about his normal routine of training and trying to improve his skills. His duty as ANBU captain kept him away on missions a lot and if sometimes while undercover he would see something that Hinata would like, he would get it and bring it back to her as a gift.

Nothing romantic about it…he did the same thing for his mother.

He did it simply because he wanted to see his cousin smile…because Hinata didn't smile that often. Not the genuine, knock your socks off, full-fledged smile he knew she was capable of.

"You know if you wanted, I would not have minded if you went along with your friends."

"That's okay…I wanted to spend more time with you anyway, Neji-niisan."

"You want to go have dinner somewhere?"

Hinata smiled and nodded. "That would be nice."

OOO

Some things changed, but there were some things that stayed the same. The mask Hatake Kakashi wore over his face was one thing that remained the same. It was still there as well as the hitae-ate all Shinobis wore tied lopsidedly over his head so that it covered his Sharingan eye.

What was different was that there was currently a silver haired toddler perched on Kakashi's shoulders staring down at Sasuke with disconcertingly bright, red colored eyes.

"I have a strange feeling you three only visit me for a chance to play with Kaori and eat my wife's cooking," Kakashi said lazily as he regarded all three of his former students who were at his front door.

"Kurenai-sensei can cook really well, but nothing beats Ramen. Sakura just likes playing with Kaori…hey ouch Sakura, what did you do that for?" Naruto complained as he rubbed the forming bump on his head.

Sakura glared at her blonde teammate. "Shut up Naruto! Don't listen to him Kakashi-sensei…"

Sasuke slouched and pushed his hands deeper into his pocket.

From her perch on her daddy's shoulders, Kaori chortled and blew a raspberry, baby drool trickling form the corner of her lips as she giggled.

"How cute!" Sakura exclaimed, forgetting about her reassuring their teacher. He was only kidding anyway. "Hello Kaori-chan! Did you miss Aunt Sakura?"

Kaori giggled and held on tighter to Kakashi's hair, prompting the Jounin to wince.

"Come on in," Kakashi said as he pushed open the door to his apartment. Naruto, Sakura and then finally Sasuke, all filed inside. He closed the door behind his formed students, the mask on his face concealing his wince when his daughter's hand tightened a bit painfully on his hair. "I'll be bald before this is over."

"What did you say sensei?" Sakura asked glancing over to him.

"Nothing," he said as he took Kaori from his shoulder and held her in his arms instead.

Naruto made a beeline for the kitchen while Sasuke and Sakura sat themselves on the couch. When Kakashi had gotten married, he'd traded his old apartment for a new, bigger one. It was spacious and airy and the large bay window at the corner let in the afternoon sunlight. Kakashi settled down on the floor, allowing Kaori room to crawl and show off her walking prowess. Sakura giggled when the little girl fell on her rump while trying to waddle over to the coffee table.

"She's so cute!" Sakura exclaimed again, delighted. She liked watching Kaori and it was the reason why she spent most of her day-offs hanging out at Kakashi-sensei's house. Who would have thought her sensei would take his eyes off those perverted books of his long enough to actually pay attention to a _real _woman, but then again Kurenai-sensei was really beautiful, Sakura had to admit. "Hey Kaori, you're so pretty neh?"

"Good thing she took after me," came an amused voice.

Kakashi grinned from beneath his mask and tilted his head back to smile at his wife who was wearing her Jounin uniform, which he so loved. "Hey Kurenai, come to relieve me of baby duty?"

Kurenai smiled and picked up their daughter. "Hey Kaori, are you causing your daddy problems?"

Kaori leaned over and pressed a wet sloppy kiss on Kurenai's cheek and then giggled.

Kurenai smiled down at Kakashi. "Did you change her diapers already?"

"Just another reason to appreciate my mask."

Something exploded from the vicinity of the kitchen and Naruto's exclamation floated over to them. Sakura stood up. "Naruto, what in the world have you done!"

Kurenai started to follow after the pink haired medic with a bemused smile on her face. "I think I'll go see what I can do to help." She handed Kaori back to Kakashi so the baby wouldn't inhale the smoke. Kurenai's hand brushed Kakashi's when she passed over Kaori and she smiled and pressed a kiss on Kakashi's left temple, which was not covered by cloth or his hitae-ate. Kaori giggled and patted Kurenai's face before scrambling up her father lap and throwing her arms playfully around Kakashi's neck.

Sasuke watched the exchange and wondered if his family had been like that. Most of his memories of his life with his family had begun to fade long ago, supplanted by images of red blood dripping down the walls of their home, of screams crying out for help and Itachi's voice taunting him of his weakness.

_Hate me, let your hate grow, let it make you strong…only when your hate is at its greatest will you have a chance at killing me. _

Sasuke rubbed his neck, stupid seal itching again. He knew he had to learn to keep a better control on his emotions to keep the seal from activating again. From the corner of his eye, he watched as Kurenai-sensei padded to the kitchen after Sakura. Every now and again, he would remember bits and pieces of his past, his childhood. Mostly, they were happy memories, snippets of a time when he was happy and innocent and his family was whole…of course he would always remember Itachi and it all boiled down to Sasuke's need to kill Itachi and avenge his clan.

He felt something wet and sticky on his pant leg and Sasuke looked down to see Kaori's fingers, dripping with baby saliva and whatever else he didn't want to think about, lying on his leg as she was trying to climb up to his lap. He looked at the girl feeling helpless. He glanced up at Kakashi, at a loss for what to do. He wasn't used to being around babies or toddlers or whatever it was that children were called at this stage in their growth.

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in an amused smile. "Just prop her up in your lap, she'll be content with that."

Sasuke, looking doubtful, followed his former sensei's instruction. Instead of picking Kaori up, Sasuke opted for sitting on the floor and letting her climb over him. Kaori seemed to have become fixated with Sasuke's hair and occupied herself with paying with the spiky strands.

Sasuke winced at a particularly painful tug.

"Do you remember when I first met your team and I asked you all to introduce yourselves?"

Sasuke tried to disentangle Kaori's hand from his hair while trying to keep her free hand from popping inside his mouth. He stared at his former teacher.

"I asked all three of you to tell me your goals and aspirations. Naruto said he wanted to be Hokage, Sakura just kept blushing and looking at you…do you remember what your answer was?"

How could he forget? It was the reason he lived, the reason why he did what he did. "Kill Itachi."

"What else?"

"Revive my Clan."

Kakashi nodded. He too had been aware of Sasuke's unrest even after he'd left Orochimaru and returned to Konoha with Naruto. Sakura had come to him with her concerns and Kakashi didn't think they were unfounded. Sasuke had left once; he could leave again. It was what Sakura feared the most. This time, Sasuke might not come back whole. He might not even come back at all. It was sad to see so much potential be wasted. Sasuke had the makings of a great ninja but his blind pursuit of power; his obsession to defeat and kill his brother, was keeping him from attaining true strength.

He was a good ninja, that was for sure…but Sasuke lacked the control needed to make tough calls, hard decisions. Determination, talent and the will to succeed could only take a person so far. One must also be able to steer these things in the proper direction so as it reaches it's full potential, right now Sasuke was stumbling along blindly looking for a purpose to exist.

Power, Revenge, Death…those were not enough.

Sasuke might not want to admit it but Kakashi knew that sooner or later, his former student would come to realize this. Being strong was not enough. Teammates mattered, friends mattered. Kakashi woke up everyday and he would see the Sharingan gazing back at him before he covered it and he would remember his past mistake and he would forever regret losing his friend, Obito.

It was a reminded that there was more to life than being the strongest, more to being a ninja that succeeding on your missions.

There was more to life than being a Shinobi.

The price for these lessons had been paid for by the blood of his friends and loved ones. He'd had to learn to live and move and and now, he had Kurenai, he had Kaori and he had his friends and colleagues.

Sasuke persisted on being alone, even in the midst of a sea of people he would still stand out as a black hole. How long would it be until he gets frustrated and the seal takes over again? He needed a purpose, something to live for other than killing Itachi.

Kakashi thought of a possibility that might just divert Sasuke's attention from his brother and revenge long enough for him to realize that there was more to life that gaining enough power and strength to avenge his family's deaths.

"You know, you don't have to kill Itachi first."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he extracted the finger Kaori had popped into his mouth. "What are you saying?"

"I'm not saying you give up on killing Itachi, but have you ever thought about what would happen if you died?"

"That's why I need to become strong. So I won't die when I face him. The whole point of going to Orochimaru was to gain enough strength so I can kill Itachi, not be killed by him."

Kakashi maintained his deadpan expression even in the face of Sasuke's irritation. Kaori seemed to be picking up on her 'playmate's' condition because she gave Sasuke a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Kakashi thought that Kaori may have perhaps been the first female non-Uchiha to succeed in doing such a thing and lived through it.

A small, amused smile tugged Kakashi's lips at Sasuke's expression. It was hard to keep your anger up when you have a baby clinging to your neck and blowing raspberries near your ear.

"In every battle, a ninja sustains injuries some more serious than others. You can't think that you can just go and fight Itachi and come off unscathed."

"I'm not stupid."

_Then why do you act like you are sometimes? _"Let's say you killed Itachi but you sustained fatal wounds and you die…what would have been the point?"

"I avenged my Clan."

"I thought you wanted to _revive _you clan too? How can you do that when you're dead?" Kakashi looked Sasuke in the eye. "You can still kill Itachi, but don't you think you should start considering reviving your clan first? Do you really want the Uchiha Clan to be a mere memory?"

Sasuke looked down at the child in his arms currently chewing his thumb.

"Find a wife, father some children…" Kakashi thought this might not be the best way to word things. He knew how Jiraiya would put it. He'd reach all the installments of Icha Icha Paradise enough times to know how the Sanin thinks but that probably won't be appropriate. How would Kurenai put it? "Uh…don't just get a woman for the sake of impregnating her alright? Get a partner, someone you'd want to rebuild your clan with. You have almost all the women here in Konoha at your feet; it shouldn't be too difficult for you to find someone up to your standards. Someone your parents would approve of." There, that was good. Kakashi gave himself a mental pat on the back. "Think about it."

Just then, Sakura appeared from the kitchen, wisps of pink hair escaping her cherry clip as she informed Sasuke and Kakashi that Kurenai had successfully managed the little 'problem' Naruto caused and that lunch was well on its way. She leaned down and patted Kaori's head, grinning when the child grabbed her hand for a second before letting it go in favor of holding on to Sasuke's hair. "Oh well, I guess she likes him better than me. I feel so betrayed." Sakura said with a laugh.

"Anata, set up the table please," Kurenai called from the kitchen.

Kakashi started to get up.

"I'll do it sensei," Sakura volunteered.

Kakashi nodded at Sakura, always glad to have one less thing to do. He glanced at Sasuke. "You know, taking care of Kaori would help prepare you better when it comes time for you to take care of your own children."

_Children_.

Uchihas.

Sasuke stared down at the little girl in his arms.

Kaori stared back and smiled, placing her sticky fingers one in each of Sasuke's cheeks and chortling.

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "Hn…"

OOO

**To Be Continued…**

OOO

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed and inspired me to write this chapter. I hope you liked where I'm taking the fic. Criticisms, questions, suggestions are all welcome. Okay, this is a **NejiHinaSasu** but I'm trying to make the development of their relationships gradual and believable. I know there are hints of **NaruHina** and **SasuSaku** in this chapter but it would never amount to anything. NejiHinaSasu all the way!

**Endless – **Thank you so much for the review. I'm glad you appreciate the emotions and the story. I hope you liked this chapter! Please review!

**Kanamey – **Hi, glad you liked the fic. It would have been good as a one shot huh, but I wanted to continue it and people seemed to want to read more so yeah, I wrote more. I hope you liked this chapter, please tell me what you thought!

**Aayesha – **I'm glad I've kept them in character. I'm not very familiar with Naruto, I've only watched up to the Chuunin exams cuz I watch it on TV so most of what I know I read from fanfics. I hope you liked this chapter and I didn't butcher their personalities too much.

**Jan-I-am – **I am a card carrying member of that movement as well. Have you visited Hyuugacest? They have wonderful NejiHina fanfics as well as some great SasuHina. Don't worry, they will all end up happy. I hope you update Love Letters soon too!

**Zivanka – **Thank you! I'm glad you like my story. Don't worry, plenty of NejiHina moments as well as SasuHina moments. I adore love triangles and all the angst it involves! I hope you liked this chapter.

**NanamiYatsumaki – **Thanks so much for the review and encouragement. I know, my mom is Chinese and in some Chinese families, you have to marry the person they pick for you or someone who is also Chinese. Good thing my mom's family isn't like that. As For SasuHina, don't worry lots of SasuHina moments and NejiHina moments as well. I hope you like this chapter! Please review!

**Forested Shadowz – **I know, Clan Rules Suck. (grins) I hope you liked this chapter. Sasuke's so cute! I'm glad you liked the story and I hope this chapter wasn't too much of a let down.

**Kenshinlover2002 – **Hi! I'm glad you like my story. Thanks for the review and I hope you liked this chapter as well. Please tell me what you think!

**Lesha – **Definitely more SasuHina coming up, but it's going to be gradual cuz I want it to be believable. Too many fics out there rush the development of their relationship and it destroys I think, the nuances of their characters so I hope I'll be able to do justice to Sasuke and Hinata's personality quirks. If at any point you think I'm doing a bad job of it, please feel free to inform me! Thanks!

**A.B.C Otaku – **Hey there! So you're reading my Naruto fics too huh? I fell in love with this anime, darn it it's distracted me from Kenshin! Oh I would love to see your drawing but the review thing deleted it. Can you send me the address in an E-mail please? Thanks!

**Fractured Wings 01 – **Sorry, haven't had time to return your E-mail yet. Anyway, I will be updating the other Sasuhina story but not yet. I wanna concentrate on this one first. Well, I hope you liked this chappy! Please tell me what you think!

**Littlesilverflower – **Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you liked the story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Did you like it? Hate it? Please tell me what you think!

**Shells – **glad you liked it. More SasuHina coming up! Wouldn't it be great to Neji jealous when he realizes his feelings for Hinata runs deeper than he thought? Hehehe…

**Lun – **Since I didn't want to be taken down by a hitman (grins) I updated. I'm glad you liked this story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I loved your review and I'm glad you thought that I managed to make the story both sweet and painful. Thank you, that was inspiring. Please review!

**Toorikosu – **Aw, it made you wanna cry? Well, at least I know I did my job well if you were touched by the story. I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Jasmine Starlight – **I know, it's a good thing too cuz I love SasuHina fics as much as the NejiHina ones. Oh geeze, I hate SasuSaku as well. Not only is it unrealistic, its annoying and I hate Sakura. It might not reflect on my writing her character, but I do dislike her a LOT. I don't wanna partner her with anyone, except maybe Lee. I think Neji's too good for her. (I'm so mean to Sakura but I really don't like her, especially the way she threw away Ino's friendship for Sasuke.) Hope you liked this chapter! Please review!

**Tami – **I'm glad you liked my fic! Yeah, I mean if the Hyuuga doesn't change, sooner or later someone would go berserk, especially in the Branch House. They're too rigid.

**Random Reviewer – **Hi! Actually the plot of this story is a bit like that. Major Angst factor in the later chapters. I wanna say more but that would divulge the whole plot for the story. Anyway, if you wanna know more about the plot then feel free to E-mail me if you like, I don't mind. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Yume – **Hi! I know, this is my dream fic too and I got fed up waiting for someone to write something like this. I would love to be the one reading a story with NejiHinaSasu love triangle but I can't find any so I decided to just go ahead and go for it. I hope you like where I'm taking this fic!

**ROLAMdimensi – **I'm glad you liked my fic! I hope this chapter wasn't disappointing and that you like the character developments! Please review! Thanks.

**A. L. S – **Thanks for the review and encouragement. I'm relatively new to Naruto so I'm still feeling my way around this fandom. I'm glad you liked my story and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Candy44 – **definitely, SasuHina rocks. I love NejiHina too though so there would be equal amounts of the lovin'. I adore love triangles. I'm taking the relationship development of SasuHina slowly though, to make it believable. Hope you don't mind.

**Khmer** **Shinobi** – Hi! Thanks for the review! Yeah, I love SasuHina. As for NaruHina, only certain fics because I've come across Naruto/Hinata fics where Naruto learns that Hinata likes him and then immediately declares he likes her too and the next thing you know, they're kissing. That's so unrealistic and its unfair to Hinata because it seems Naruto likes her only because she likes him and not because he appreciates who she is. AS for NejiHina, that pairing totally rocks. (I know, its kind of like incest but they're so cute together and oh, the angst!)

**Arte7 – **Oh goodness, I love your fic, The Pages Turn. Please update soon, it's the best. I wanna know what happens now that Itachi has been cheating on her and who kidnapped Hinata? Please update, onegai!

**Makotojs – **Thanks so much for the review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

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	3. The Ties Of The Past And Present

**The Logical Conclusion**

* * *

**A/N: **Hi guys, thanks for the wonderful reviews. They inspire me and prompt me to update faster. This chapter is a bit long so hope you like it! Don't forget to review!

* * *

._Paragraphs between the blue lines are flashbacks. _

**Chapter Three: **The Ties of the Past and Present

He was not hearing it.

Nope, he was NOT.

Sasuke tried to convince himself that there were no sounds coming from the room at the back of the house. The Master Bedroom to be precise…Kakashi and Kurenai's BEDROOM!

ARGH!

For a Shinobi, information was vital…but there was also such a thing as TOO MUCH information and this was one of those cases.

"_Kakashi! Get your hands out of my blouse!"_

"_What? I'm just looking underneath the underneath!"_

"_What in the world are you talking about?"_

"_Really Kurenai, as an instructor, I thought that you'd understand," came the teasing voice, muffled by the mask and the wall._

"_Oh I understand alright. I understand that I'm married to an insatiable pervert."_

_A deep chuckle of amusement, "Kurenai, Kurenai…I always tell my charges to 'look underneath the underneath'. I won't be a very good instructor if I don't practice what I preach!"_

Sasuke damned his keen auditory senses. It was handy on spying and surveillance missions but there were some things he so DID NOT WANT to hear. He tried to just ignore them, concentrating instead on the baby who was currently running a red crayon around and around a piece of paper. How old was this girl anyway? She seemed quite advance for someone who couldn't even walk yet.

As if sensing his stare, Kaori looked up and gave him a happy gurgle before resuming her task.

There was a thud and a small exclamation before Kurenai's voice floated over to them with an exhaled, "Kakashi!"

Sasuke glared at the wall across from him, intent on ignoring the fact that he was probably blushing. His face felt hot from mortification and annoyance that he actually had to stand for this. Kakashi-sensei had planted a seed in his mind and Sasuke couldn't seem to help but think of the future of his Clan.

His home had never seemed so empty, dark or desolate, the silence so full it choked him. At night, he couldn't help but imagine little patters of feet as children ran along the large, spacious halls and corridors of the house he lived in.

His primary goal had always been to kill his brother _and then _revive the clan.

But…who's to say that the order can't be reversed?

Why didn't he think of that sooner? It might've saved him the trouble of going to Orochimaru and trying to kill Itachi when he was just twelve and it was so freakin' obvious he was strong enough yet. It galled him to have to admit to such a mistake and the weakness that drove him to commit the error driven by the desperate need for revenge, but to get stronger he needed to be honest with himself and admit his faults so he can learn from them. He wasn't so arrogant and bullheaded not to acknowledge the fact that he'd been wrong and now, he had the curse seal to remind him of his folly.

Damn it!

He really should have thought of reviving the clan first, it was a simple enough idea…so why didn't he think of it?

Oh yeah, he'd almost forgotten…

Sasuke had relegated the revival of his clan to something to do in the future because he hated girls.

He HATED them with a passion.

He wasn't gay or anything, despite what Naruto kept on _implying _with the snake barbs and Orochimaru's seemingly homosexual tendencies, it was just that Sasuke disliked their constant chatter, the yammering, the high pitched voices that squealed out his name again and again.

Couldn't they respect his personal space?

Wasn't it obvious he'd have preferred that they leave him alone?

For goodness sake, the more he scowled at them and told them to go away the more they crowded over him and cooed at how cute and cool he was.

Of course, Naruto said he was crazy for feeling that way, that a normal guy would like it if a girl, especially a lot of girls, liked him. Naruto insisted that only reason Sasuke felt that way about girls was because he was gay.

Gay.

**Gay**.

**GAY**.

* * *

They were practicing as a team after so long. Since they'd all been busy training for quite some time, all three of them were only at Chuunin rank although their skill levels were most likely that of Jounins. They had all been apprentices of the Three Legendary Sanin after all. 

Kakashi had gathered them all together at the Hokage's request. She'd asked him to oversee their training. He no longer had much to teach them, all he was there for was mainly to evaluate their skill and to referee their matches. He leaned against the tree, his book open as he read the latest release of Icha Icha Paradise. It wasn't often he was able to read his beloved books anymore since Kurenai had banned them from the house.

Kakashi was not planning to miss this opportunity to catch up on some reading.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke were squaring off while Sakura looked on, a small smile of reminiscence on her face as she watched her teammates face off in a match to test their skills. It was almost like before…except they were all older now and hopefully, wiser.

After a flurry of exchanged kicks and punches that never landed anywhere because it was always either blocked, dodged or countered, both opponents separated into their own corner of the little sparring ground, glaring and assessing the damage to themselves and their opponent.

Blue eyes clashed on black and the electricity of conflict and rivalry flashed between the two.

"You've gotten better," Naruto said, crouched low and ready to strike.

The black of Sasuke's eyes bled into red as three commas surrounded his pupil, hailing the activation of the Sharingan. He smirked. "So have you, dobe, but not nearly enough to defeat me."

"We'll see. While you were gone I've been training with Jiraiya…I bet Sakura can kick your ass easy too since she's the apprentice to old lady Tsunade."

"You're not the only ones who were training under Legendary Sanin."

Suddenly, Naruto grinned and laughed.

"You're right. Neh, Sasuke I just realized something! Hahaha! You even ELOPED with Orochimaru!"

"I didn't ELOPE with him you idiot. I ran after him."

Naruto whooped with laughter despite Sakura's reprimands for him to keep his mouth shut. "Oh dude, running after Orochimaru isn't any better than ELOPING with him! In fact that's even worse!"

Sasuke's face turned beat red and a tick developed in his right eye. "Shut up dobe! I ran after him to gain power!"

"Kind of sheds a whole new light to Orochimaru wanting to use your body!" Naruto guffawed as he bent to the waist and slapped his knees in amusement.

Sakura's eye bulged and her face became about a hundred shades pinker than her cotton candy hair. "Naruto you idiot, shut up!" she said as she fanned her face, trying to dispel the images of Sasuke and…Euw, NO!

Kakashi smirked at the exchange. It was almost proving to be more entertaining than the book he was reading…almost.

"Oh come on Sakura-chan…what's a guy supposed to think? Come to think of it Sasuke, I saw you talking to your snakes last time I dropped by your house. Is that why you were so grumpy? Was I interrupting your date?"

Sasuke turned purple and launched himself at the blonde, tackling him to the ground and ready to pulverize his face in.

"Geeze Sasuke bastard, sure I'm your friend and all but I don't swing that way. We can't be friends with benefits like you and Kabuto were!"

"NARUTO!" Sakura said, on the verge of fainting.

A small chuckle vibrated from behind Kakashi's mask.

Sasuke saw red and his Sharingan activated, the black dots spinning. He formed hand seals, ready to Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu Naruto's ass into the next life.

"That's enough," Kakashi said as he touched Sasuke on the arm just before the Jutsu activated.

"Sure, now you intervene," Sasuke muttered as he stood up and dusted his clothes, glaring at his sensei who he could see was obviously very amused about the whole 'Sasuke is gay' thing.

* * *

Sasuke grimaced at the memory. If Naruto didn't stop making fun of his summons and his relationship with his summons as well as his stint as Orochimaru's 'apprentice', Sasuke swore he was going to order one of his snakes (one of the bigger ones) to slither up the blonde's ass.

Let's see who's laughing now, dobe!

He smirked.

Another thud and a giggle could be heard from the Master Bedroom.

_You'd think they'd be discreet seeing as I'm here but no, they just foist of their offspring on me and head to the bedroom…I kind of expected that from Kakashi-sensei but I thought Kurenai-sensei would be a bit more sensible._

"Kakashi!" Kurenai's laughing voice sounded from the bedroom.

That's it!

If Sasuke could have closed his ears, he would have but sadly all he could do was stand up, hitch Kaori up higher in his arms and make way for the door that led outside and to safety.

**OOO**

When the front door shut after Sasuke, Kakashi and Kurenai appeared in the just vacated living room in a puff of smoke and grinned at each other from amusement.

"I can't believe it worked…_again_," Kurenai said as she shook her head in amusement.

"I told you it would," Kakashi said with a smug smile.

"I wonder when he'll catch on that we're playing with him?"

"Hopefully not for a long, long time…" Kakashi said with a smirk.

Kurenai smiled and traced her husband's lips with her fingertips.

He wasn't wearing a mask.

She'd asked him not to when he was alone with her and Kaori. Kurenai loved looking at Kakashi's face because she knew that she was the only one allowed to and it was a sign of his trust and his love: a complete giving of himself.

"We've been doing that to him on a semi-regular basis, one of these days he's bound to figure it out." she said traced his scar. "Poor boy, we might be traumatizing him, do you think?"

"Nah…not after that time he spent with Orochimaru."

Kurenai laughed. "Naruto's still insisting that Sasuke's gay, huh?"

"Yeah and Sakura's just about had it…I guess it'll be extra incentive for Sasuke to start seeing someone, that'll prove he isn't gay."

"Hn…he's been visiting Kaori every week now…I guess he's thinking about your suggestion, which is good. It might keep him from seeking out Orochimaru again. There are still some people who find it hard to forget he betrayed Konoha."

"Everyone makes mistakes. He was so young then, I think he's grown a bit. His relationship with his team is better now and he's good with Kaori," Kakashi turned his face in her hand and kissed her palm. "Besides, with Sasuke taking care of Kaori, we have more free time to be together. The Hokage has asked me to take in new trainees. The Academy students will be graduating soon…"

"You won't pass them anyway. You're a hard taskmaster, you know that?"

"I want them to be ready, really ready. Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto are the only students I ever passed and look where all three ended up…" Kakashi trailed off and a faraway look glazed his eyes.

"Sasuke's back in Konoha, anata," Kurenai said as she touched her cheek to Kakashi's chest. She knew how much he'd blamed himself when Sasuke had left. She knew he blamed himself, thinking if only he'd been a better teacher to Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke, if only he'd been able to reach them more, to connect with them…if only…

**OOO**

Kakashi held Kurenai in his arms. When he was still a child, he was already a killer. He'd never really had the luxury of holding someone for the sake of touching them, just because it feels nice, it feels right. The only times he'd ever been close to a human being was in the throes of a fight, violence or lust.

With Kurenai, it had been different.

It had taken him so long to finally be able to even touch her hand. He was faster than her and yes, he could have taken her by surprise and just grabbed her hand or any other part of her he liked and she wouldn't be able to do anything about it, but he didn't want that.

To his consternation, he'd found that he wanted to reach out for Kurenai's hand slowly and be able to touch her because she wasn't moving away, because she allowed him to hold her.

He wanted to clasp her hand in his and feel her hand open to receive him. He wanted to squeeze her hand and feel her squeeze back in acknowledgement.

At first, when Kakashi had realized his feelings…he'd wanted to bash his head in against the wall.

Kurenai!

Kurenai!

She was the rookie Jounin, forever on time, responsible, classy and by God she was gorgeous. She also seemed to _hate_ him…well his books anyway. He always saw her giving him a glare whenever he had his book out…and didn't she and Asuma have some sort of _thing_ going on or something?

He was surprised when she'd asked him out for coffee.

That had been several weeks after Sasuke had left and Kakashi had been feeling particularly low. He'd failed his students, just like he'd failed his friends. What was the use of being called a 'genius' when he always botched the most important tests in his life? Of course, he hadn't accepted her offer to go for coffee. He didn't want her pity or whatever it was he saw in her eyes.

Even Gai's insane antics failed to cheer him up. Anko had said she'd tie him up and use his balls for piñata practice but he couldn't even work up a smile. Asuma said that nicotine was a good stress reliever but Kakashi didn't want to suck on a cancer stick enough that he'd actually pull down his mask from his face. It was surprising how many of his colleague rallied against him. They didn't blame him for being a failure of a teacher.

"_We're there to show them the paths available to them but ultimately, it's their choice whatever path they take. All we can really do is to help them become strong enough to stay alive as they face the challenges ahead."_

Kurenai asked him out for coffee again.

This time, he accepted.

**OOO**

The sun was shining brightly that day and Ino was in a good mood. She was humming a popular tune that her female students at the Academy were crazy over as she bustled and busied herself preparing for the day ahead. She didn't have to teach a class today, it was the weekend and Ino was only asked to help in the shop until lunchtime, after which she planned to take a long, luxurious soak in the newly installed bathtub at her apartment.

The tiny bell at the front door of the shop tinkled musically.

"**Irasshaimase**! **Nani** **ka** **otetsudai** **shimasho** **ka**?" she said as she turned to greet the customer. Ino smiled when she saw who it was. "Good morning Hinata! **Ohisashiburi** **desu** **neh**! Good to see you've dragged yourself away from the hospital and whatever else has been occupying your time lately."

The slight Hyuuga girl smiled and bowed. "**Ohayo** Ino-san."

"No need to be so formal Hinata-chan!" Ino said with a shake of her head. Ino had been friends with Hinata for a long time now but Hinata was remained unfailingly polite, even though it was not really needed among friends. It must come from being a Hyuuga since Ino had noticed that Neji was the same way as well. "Hey, you're wearing the ribbon! Looks really good neh? You should just let your hair grow longer."

Hinata colored as she remembered Naruto's compliments from the other evening and his suggestion that she keep her hair long. In the past, if he had told her this, she probably would have fainted from sheer bliss. "The ribbon is really pretty, Ino-chan, thank you for giving it to me." She brushed back her bangs from her face and sighed. It was a good thing Ino's ribbon kept her hair from her face, but she really needed to get it cut and soon too. It was getting to be too much of a bother to fuss with every morning. "I think I will need to cut my hair soon though, its too much trouble to maintain."

"That's cause you're not used to it. You always wear your hair short." Ino smiled teasingly. "You Hyuugas are as well known for your beautiful dark hair as for your Byakugan. It's a shame not to flaunt it and besides, statistics show that most guys like long hair on girls…" she winked at Hinata who blushed, prompting Ino to laugh good-naturedly at her friend. "Wait here while I get your order from the back, okay?"

Hinata nodded and watched as Ino disappeared towards the backroom of the flower shop, considering what Ino had said.

Hinata had never thought much about her hair and she honestly preferred it shorter because it was easier to manage and more practical. Besides, Hinata had never really been interested in attracting guys.

When she was younger, she'd been too focused on Naruto to notice anyone else.

When she got older and outgrew her crush on the blonde, Hinata found her self engaged to Neji.

No, being attractive to men had never been much of an issue for her so she'd never really felt the need to grow her hair long…or wear tight sexy clothes that followed the lines of her body. Just the thought made Hinata want to faint from the sheer mortification of being caught out in public dressed that way. The Hyuugas were a conservative family and dressing provocatively was severely frowned upon.

Hinata reached up to touch her hair.

Neji had long hair and she knew that her hair would never have the same soft, silky texture as his did.

She had brushed his hair once for him.

It had been a several years ago when she had just turned thirteen and started training to become a medic-nin under Shizune.

* * *

Kiba was allergic to the synthetic kind of medicine massed produced by pharmacies and so Hinata, who had learned to make medicinal ointments and creams at a young age, always made several batches for him to help with his injuries. When Shizune had examined the wound Kiba had received from a mission and had noted that it was healing particularly well, especially for such a nasty gash, she'd asked who had made the medicine that Kiba had treated his wound with and he'd said it was Hinata. Shizune had gone to see Hinata and asked if she'd had any formal training as a medic. 

The answer was no, Hinata had learned on her own from books and by trial and error. Shizune had been surprised by the news and had immediately asked Hinata if she would like to start training to be a medic. Hinata had readily agreed but she'd had to ask her father's permission first. He'd granted it and that had been the start of Hinata's training as a medic-nin.

She had just gotten home from one of her sessions with Shizune when she'd learned that her Neji-niisan had gotten back from a particularly long and hard mission that had taken him away from Konoha for a good month and a half. Hinata had gone up to her room to retrieve one of the herbal creams she made.

Neji was a skilled Shinobi and Hinata trusted his skills but there was always a possibility that one would incur damage and injuries during a mission, especially one as dangerous and long-winded as his had been. With medicine in hand, Hinata had gone to the house Neji shared with his mother in the Hyuuga compound.

Namiko-san had let Hinata in and told her that Neji was upstairs in his room, resting. At Neji's door, Hinata had hesitated. At this point in time, her relationship with Neji had still been a bit volatile. He was no longer as angry with her as before and his eyes no longer reflected hatred and accusation whenever he looked at her but the difference was still fairly new and Hinata sometimes wondered if she was just hallucinating but that was unfair to Neji.

He was beginning to change; she knew that.

He'd started training with her father and he was also starting to help her improve her taijutsu as well. They hadn't had very many sessions yet but though Neji was strict and he demanded a lot out of her, he wasn't mean spirited any longer.

However, the years Neji had spent instilling fear in Hinata had taken its toll. They were too ingrained in her system for her to not feel nervous when she was around him. She didn't begrudge him his earlier behavior towards her, but he still made her nervous. A small motion from his hand made her flinch automatically away before she could help herself. She could tell that her automatic reaction to his presence disturbed her cousin but it was hard since her instincts had dubbed Neji as 'dangerous' and she was always unconsciously wary when around him. She did try to keep from flinching though, she tried really hard and as a result thing ended up even more awkward that before.

Hinata looked down at the jar of medical cream in her hand and wondered if her cousin would appreciate the gesture or not.

Tentatively, she had reached out a hand to knock on his door.

"Come in," came the muffled reply.

Hinata carefully slid the door to her cousin's room open only to blink and turn scarlet at the sight of him. She was too shocked to voice out the words 'gomen-nasai!' even as it ran around and around in her head, getting louder with each passing second.

Neji, for his part, apparently hadn't expected anyone to be at his door other than his mother and when he saw Hinata, he froze in the act of bandaging his left arm, the end of the bandage caught in his mouth as he was tightening it.

"N-niisan…"

"Hinata-sama…" Neji said starting to stand.

"N-no, y-you don't have to!" Hinata said, fighting the urge to shrink back and hide from his gaze. He'd always managed to frighten her with his eyes. Sometimes, it felt like he saw too much of her, all of the bad things about her, her weaknesses, insecurities and fears. In the past, he hadn't hesitated to use the knowledge and insight gained through the Byakugan against her. Hinata had to forcefully remind herself that Neji was changing and that things weren't the same as before. He wasn't going to rush to her and Gentle Firs her to death. "A-Anou…gomen nasai…" she managed to squeak out as she bowed and thrust both her arms out presenting him with her 'offering'. "I…I made this c-cream. It's good for general injuries a-and would prevent most wounds from scarring."

"Arigato, Hinata-sama," he said a bit stiffly as he sat back down again.

Hinata stood at the door, unsure what to do next. His dark, coffee colored hair was still wet and Hinata realized he'd probably just finished showering. The wet strands dripped moisture down his bare chest and darkened some sports on his black pants. Why didn't he put a shirt on?

Hinata forgot about her discomfiture about seeing Neji bare-chested when her eyes zeroed in on the reason. There were several dark splotches on his porcelain skin, patches where the skin was bruised an angry eggplant color rimmed with red. There were some scratches there too and a deep gash that needed some attention.

He was still struggling with the bandage for his arm.

Hinata stepped inside the room and took the chair from Neji's study table, pulling it closer to the bed so she can sit and examine his wounds better. She took his arm and finished bandaging it, surprised that he'd managed to do such a good job while only using one hand.

Well, maybe it wasn't such a surprise.

He was Neji after all.

"Niisan, I'll apply the salve to the bruising and scratches on your torso, but we have to do something about your hair…" Hinata said.

Neji shifted as he raised his arm to try and gather the damp locks over his shoulder.

Hinata saw the rivulet of moisture escape the strands and drip down to his pants and chest. It would surely get the bandages wet and might dilute the salve. Neji seemed to have come to the same conclusion since he stood up and took a towel from his closet, slung it over his shoulder and picked up a brush before sitting back down. He tried his best to absorb the wetness from his hair with the towel but it was hard to do, his hair was long and he only had one hand. Hinata, blushing, reached for the towel and stammered, "M-may I…?"

Neji frowned at her. "It's not necessary Hinata-sama."

"P-Please niisan…" _So we can get this over with quickly!_

Neji's eyes narrowed and he seemed to read her thought because with a frown directed at her, he relinquished the towel and turned his back. "Fine, go ahead."

Hinata had squeezed the water from his hair as best she could, trying to keep her hands from touching any part of Neji's exposed torso lest he knock her over and glare her to death. When she was done, she had stuttered and blushed painfully as she asked him if it would be all right for her to brush his hair.

Neji had given her a faintly befuddled look and asked why she'd want to do such a thing. Hinata had thought she would faint then and she couldn't formulate an answer and just kept on mumbling 'A-anou…A-anou…'

Finally, Neji had handed her the brush and turned his back to her. "Go ahead, Hinata-sama," he murmured.

Hinata smiled as if he'd given her a gift and carefully brushed her cousin's long strand of hair. It was so much longer than hers. Thick and full and silky, it was like a coffee colored waterfall. It was a pity when she was done and Neji's hair was as silky and perfect as it always was. She hurried along with putting salve on his skin and bandaging his torso before taking her leave, her face as red as a tomato.

Just before she left the room, she'd heard him say softly, "Arigato Hinata-sama."

It was the first time he'd said thank you to her in a long time and sound like he actually _meant_ it. Instead of ducking her head and scurrying away as fast as she could like she normally did, she turned and acknowledged his words. "Do itashimashite, Neji-niisan!"

Neji blinked and then nodded at her.

Hinata smiled.

* * *

Ino emerged from the back carrying a basket of flowers filled with poppies, her voice distracting the Hyuuga from her thoughts. "Here you go Hinata, just like you ordered." 

"They're beautiful Ino-san."

Ino grinned. "Of course, I'm an expert after all," she said with a wink and a laugh. "Neh, Hinata I just remembered we've been receiving lots of orders in advance for white flowers from the Hyuuga House. Is something going on?"

"Well the family will be hosting a gathering but I'm not sure when the exact date is," Hinata answered. She'd tried to distance herself as much as possible from the preparations for the upcoming festivities. She didn't even have her speech prepared yet but Hinata had decided she'd most likely go with what her aunt had suggested.

"Oh. Is it going to be like the one they threw for your fifteenth birthday?" Ino asked.

Hinata couldn't stifle a smile. "I'm not sure," she said. She knew it was hard for other people to get used to the austere formality of Hyuuga gatherings.

Ino and Kiba and Ten-Ten had declared that it was 'No Way To Party' and had held an impromptu birthday party for Hinata at Kiba's house. The food had been simpler, chips with dip, popcorn, chocolate and simple to make sandwiches instead of the gourmet food that had been served at the Hyuuga House but Hinata had enjoyed it better than her first party.

Ino, along with Ten-Ten were actually Hinata's closest female friends. It didn't seem likely as all three of them were so different personality wise, but a bond had formed between them years ago as they stayed in silent vigil at the hospital praying that their teammates and friends would be all right. Hinata was worried about Shino, Akamaru, Kiba and her Neji-niisan. Ten-Ten was there for Neji and Lee. Ino worried over Chouji who was in critical condition and Shikamaru who although only broke a finger, was still quite worse for wear and blaming himself for failing as the leader and getting his comrades hurt.

The three girls saw each other at the hospital everyday and over time, they all formed a sort of kinship.

In the years that followed, it developed into a deep friendship and even their male teammates were drawn together as friends as well. In the beginning, Neji had sighed and muttered whenever Ten-Ten dragged him off after practice to 'hang-out with the others'. He'd actually tried to refuse until Gai stepped in and _urged _him to take advantage of the glorious springtime of his youth. Lee had cried tears of joy and declared that there was nothing more beautiful in the springtime of youth than the flowering of friendship and he and Gai had hugged and cried and went after Ten-Ten and Neji for a group hug.

Kiba was game and so was Akamaru and Shino didn't seem to care either way, they had wanted to accommodate Hinata who rarely asked anything of them.

Shikamaru had thought it was troublesome but he'd tagged along and Chouji had been happy as long as there was food. That was how it started and now that they were all older and busier and had duties to perform, they no longer had much free time to get together anymore but the bond they formed had stayed with them through the years.

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke hadn't become close to them because at that time, Team 7 had been embroiled in their own issues to deal with. Naruto had left the village for training, Sasuke was gone and Sakura had buried herself in her apprenticeship with the Hokage and trying to be stronger so she won't be a burden to her teammates anymore.

"Hey Hinata, you okay?"

"Uh, sorry Ino-san, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Uhm, Naruto-kun and Uchiha-san and Sakura-san…Neji-niisan and I saw them a few days ago."

"Oh yeah, how's Neji? Haven't seen him for a while either."

"He's doing fine. He's out on a mission right now," Hinata answered. Neji-niisan had been accepting more missions lately, probably trying to do the same thing Hinata was, keeping his mind off of the eventual announcement of his engagement to Hanabi. The though always left a pang in Hinata's heart but she resolutely pushed it away. "Neh, Ino-san, Naruto-kun liked the ribbon you gave me. He said it was pretty."

"Well, he has good taste!" Ino grinned, "Hey, finally he's got his blinders down and sees how gorgeous you are!"

"Ino-san!" Hinata said blushing. "It's not like that, I don't like him that way anymore…besides, he's still very much in love with Sakura-san. I can tell."

"You train with Sakura a lot right? You're both the Hokage's apprentice. How's she doing? Sasuke's been back for a while now."

"Well, I don't really get to talk to Sakura-san much. I've already finished learning most of the jutsus Shizune-san is teaching her since I started earlier than her and now I'm concentrating on creating herbal medicines. We don't really get to socialize together that much, but she seems quite happy now. She seems to be still like Uchiha-san."

"Uhm…"

"You used to be quite close with her once, right Ino-san? Maybe one time we can invite her to go with us when we have lunch together. Ten-Ten doesn't really know Sakura-san that well…and neither do I…"

"Maybe," Ino shrugged. "Sakura and I aren't really on very good terms."

"B-Because of Uchiha-san? But Ino, you don't like him anymore, right?"

Ino nodded. "You're right, I don't." She'd stopped liking him the moment he endangered Shikamaru and Chouji's life. Sometimes, when she thought about how close their friends had come to dying, she still got angry with Sasuke but since none of the guys held grudges against him, Ino felt she shouldn't either.

Ino could feel Hinata's questioning gaze. She knew the Hyuuga heiress was too polite to question her further but Ino could tell that Hinata was confused. She sighed and played with a petal.

"Sakura and I were friends when we were younger. Sakura was pretty much like you, she was so painfully shy and people often teased her about her large forehead. No one teased you because, well, you were a Hyuuga and since Sakura didn't come from a noble family, she was pretty much fair game to the mean kids. One time I saw her being bullied and I defended her and we became friends.

One day, she came towards me and our other friends and she said she met the coolest most amazing guy in the world. It was Sasuke and she said she liked him. I already liked him at that time but I didn't say anything. I think it was a day or two after that when she asked me to meet her at the park. I was waiting for her at one of the benches when she arrived and sat at the other end and she asked me if I liked Sasuke too. I said yes.

I…I gave her a ribbon once too…and she returned it to me and said she didn't want to be friends anymore. Since we both liked Sasuke…she said we would be rivals from then on." Ino smiled slightly. "You know the funny thing Hinata? I didn't really care so much about Sasuke. I was thinking about actually giving him up or letting Sakura try to get him first. That's why I didn't say anything to her when I found out she liked him. When Sakura ended our friendship…I couldn't believe Sakura betrayed me like that…all for a guy. I was the first one to befriend her. She had no other friends before I came. Looking back now, I think the main reason I tried to go after Sasuke so hard was just to get back at Sakura for hurting me. I gave her my friendship and she threw it back in my face."

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" Hinata asked, feeling somehow overwhelmed by the information. She had no idea…Ino had never ever let on about her feelings towards Sakura.

Ino shrugged. "I'm over it now, it was a long time ago, but it still hurts to think about. Sakura said she wanted to shine on her own, to get away from the shadow I cast on her. I didn't mean to, you know. I just wanted to help her. I never wanted to compete with her and see who's better. That's why it's so nice to be friends with you and Ten-Ten. I know, no matter what, you guys will stick by me. We're all so different that we don't compete for the same things. No matter how much Shikamaru complains about how troublesome I am and how Chouji always complains about me taking his food away, I know they'll never let me down. The others too, it's good to know you have friends you can count on forever."

Hinata nodded in agreement.

Ino laughed, "Well enough drama for one day! Are you going to visit Kurenai-sensei right now?"

Hinata nodded as she took out her wallet and paid for the flowers. "Hai," she showed Ino the small basket of toys and clothes that she'd brought from one of Konoha's shops, "I saw these at the shop and couldn't help myself. I hope Kaori-chan likes them."

"How cute!" Ino gushed as she spied that frilly dresses, the cat pajamas with furry ears. "Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei's combination turned out great huh? They produced such a cute baby!"

Hinata smiled. "She has Kurenai-sensei's eyes."

"I wonder how they'll react if Kaori starts showing a fondness for reading the same kind of books Kakashi-sensei does?" Ino mused.

"I think Kurenai-sensei would not be very happy," Hinata said, amused. "She's banned any Icha, Icha Paradise reading in front of Kaori-chan. Kurenai-sensei says it might corrupt Kaori-chan's innocent young mind."

Ino laughed. "They make such a cute pair neh? I have to admit, at first I thought Kurenai-sensei would end up with Asuma-sensei but I guess you just never know with love huh? Asuma-sensei's happy with Anko-san even though she throws a shuriken at him every time she catches him lighting a cigarette."

"Will they get married anytime soon?" Hinata asked.

Ino shrugged. "I'm not sure. They're relationship's still pretty new."

"It's fun visiting Kurenai-sensei at her house. You should come one time, we can go together and you can meet Kaori-chan."

"I want to, but I don't know when I can," Ino confessed, "the shop's keeping me busy on my free days and I never thought teaching at the Academy would be so exhausting."

Hinata smiled. She and Ino were both still Chuunin, Ino declining to take the Jounin Qualifying Exams. She said she wasn't really too eager to be a Jounin and she preferred being a teacher at the Academy and helping out in the family business.

"Well I think that's because you put in more effort than you're required. You really like your students, neh Ino-san?"

Ino winked. "You bet. By the way, Kaede-kun was asking when you're going to drop by in class again. He was really taken with you. He asked me when 'The Hyuuga Medic' would show up again and teach them some first aid jutsus."

"I'll be happy too. He was such a fast learner, I remember he picked up on it right after I demonstrated."

"I think my student has a crush on you Hinata. He's the heartthrob of the class you know. Number One Rookie, kind of like how Sasuke was. All the girls were jealous when he paid so much attention to you! He's usually indifferent in class. So quiet and keeps to himself, but he always excels. He's very talented. In a couple of years, he'll be a great Shinobi. Do you mind dating younger guys?"

"Ino-san!" Hinata said, placing her hand on her hot cheek, embarrassed. "D-Don't say such things!"

Ino laughed. "You've got to admit Hinata. He's very good looking for a twelve year old. With that dark brown hair of his and those light green eyes; that kid's going to be a looker when he finishes growing up."

Hinata agreed, but saying so might only prompt Ino into teasing her more. "He's too young Ino-san."

Ino lifted an eyebrow slyly. "The difference is only six years. When he's eighteen, you'll only be twenty-four." She giggled when Hinata's blush deepened from rose to a bright scarlet. "So will you drop by in class some time?"

Hinata nodded, "I'll drop by on my free time next week," she promised as she took the flowers she ordered. "I should be going now, thank you Ino-san."

"No problem," Ino said waving Hinata's gratitude away. "What are friends for, right?"

Hinata nodded and smiled, relishing the word.

_Friends_.

She had friends.

There was a time in her life when she hadn't had anyone at all.

"Hai. See you later Ino-san." Hinata said as she turned to leave.

_Friends you can count on forever._

**OOO**

On a hill overlooking the village of Konoha were two lovers enjoying a secluded picnic. It was rare that they had any time alone together with their duties as Jounins and as parents and the two were taking advantage of this rare reprieve. Kakashi leaned his head against Kurenai's, his eyelids drooping more than usual.

He'd had diaper duty last night and Kaori had kept him awake.

He yawned, about to drift completely off into dreamland.

"Kakashi…Kakashi…!"

The Copy-nin glanced down at his wife and saw her red eyes staring at him in consternation. He lifted an eyebrow, "What's the matter?"

"I just remembered, we need to get back to the house..."

"Why? We already have Sasuke unknowingly babysitting for us…"

"Yeah, but Hinata's coming today for a visit. I can't believe I forgot!"

"Reschedule?" Kakashi suggested hopefully, though he knew Kurenai wouldn't even consider it. She loved that girl like a daughter and Kakashi had spent many a day nodding in agreement as he listened to Kurenai rant about the Hyuuga Clan and their unfair treatment of their heiress.

"I can't. With Kiba and Shino as ANBU, I don't get to see my old team as much anymore and Hinata's rarely had time to visit us."

Kakashi dropped a kiss on Kurenai's forehead before he pulled his mask in place, tugging his hitai-ate down over his eye. "Okay then, want me to get anything for your guest?"

"Uhm…we still have some tea in stock, Hinata's big on tea."

"All Hyuugas are from what I've noticed. I think it's water to them or something."

Kurenai smiled as she started repacking their things.

"Sasuke's there at the house, he'll keep Hinata company for a while so you don't have to hurry."

Kurenai snorted disbelievingly. "Can you imagine the conversation between those two?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Only too well."

**OOO**

**To Be Continued**

**OOO**

**Glossary:**

**Irasshaimase**! – Welcome

**Nani** **ka** **otetsudai** **shimasho** **ka**? – What can I do for you today?

**Ohisashiburi** **desu** **neh**! – Long time no see! It's been a long time!

**Ohayo – **Good Morning

**Do** **itashimashite** – You're Welcome

**Arigato** – Thank You

**

* * *

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**Review Responses: **

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**Zivanka – **Wow, thanks for the awesome review and the encouragement. I really appreciate it. Yup, I love angst too but you can only sustain it for so long before it gets tiresome to the readers so I think its good to put in some humor here and there. There's more to the characters than just their angst and hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter!

**Kai-himitsu – **I think Sasuke would be a funny father. He would look all cute and befuddled and wouldn't know what to do! Hehehe.

**Kanamey – **Wow, I'm glad you like my story! First time reading something about Sasuke and Hinata? Well, hopefully I can manage to bring them together realistically but as for the end pairings for this fic, whether Hinata ends up with Sasuke or Neji is still undecided.

**Chou ni Natte – **NejiHinaSasu rocks! I think, any pairing with Hinata rocks. She's just like a lovable character and you can expand her character in fics because not much is really known about her.

**Atropa13 – **I'm glad you like it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter also.

**ShikaruTo – **I'm glad you find it logical. (grins) I hope the characters are believable!

**ABC Otaku – **I get the episodes from TV. Most of the advanced stuff I know comes from the Internet. The fish guy is Kisame. Itachi's gorgeous if a bit deranged.

**HiEi JaGaNsHiS FlAmE – **SasuHina rocks, but there aren't that many good ones. Hey, check out **Era** by uncreative pseudonym. I think a link is in my Favorites so look at my profile, click on Favorites and check it out. It's a HinaSasu story and it's very good!

**Toorikosu – **hi there! Glad you enjoyed the last chapter. How about this one? Did you like it too? Comments, criticisms, suggestions please! Thank you! Oh and hopefully, I will be updating Back Home To You next, if you also follow that story.

**Tami – **Thanks! I think chibi Sasuke is cute. I found this pic of him where Sarutobi was ruffling his hair when he was little and he was pouting. Kawaii! Hope you liked this chapter!

**Noname – **Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy this fic. Thank you so much for reviewing, I'm a review hog and each review inspires me! Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Lkady SilverRose – **I don't think I'm very eloquent but that you for saying so. I love Hinata with Sasuke and Neji too! I think Hinata can be partnered with most guys because of her personality. Or maybe I'm just biased cuz my fave female character is Hinata.

**Kisekiyume – **Hehehe, thanks for the review, I appreciate it. This chapter is long huh? Hopefully it was also worth the wait. I love Hinata with Sasuke and Neji both!

**NanamiYatsumaki – **Thanks. Writing Kaori was fun because of Sasuke's reactions to her. Babies are super cute, I love them!

**- **Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Helena-Jeanne-Chibi – **Thanks for the offer as beta-reader! Can you E-mail me? I'm glad you like Kaoru and yup, Kakashi has to get his attention away from those books and onto real women. I'm a firm believer that he's gorgeous underneath that mask of his.

**Arte73 – **Yay, can't wait for your update. Thanks, I'm glad you like the bald joke! No one else seemed to. (sniffles) Hehehe.

**A.L.S – **Thanks! I'm glad you like the story so much and I hope you keep on reading and reviewing. I love reviews, they inspire me. (hint hint) Hehehe! So did you like the chapter?

**Hokai Amplifier – **I'm glad you didn't think there were any OOC. I'm trying to keep them as much in character as possible and still have them interact to move the story along. What did you think about Ino's take on Sakura? I always thought it was bad of Sakura to just cut her friendship off with Ino for a boy.

**SpEcIaLxDoRk – **Glad you like it! Did you enjoy this chapter?

**Fractured Wings 01 – **Oh you're writing a Neji/Hina/Sasu? Go, go and write and post so I can read and enjoy the goodness that is the love triangle of those three! (grins)

**Ah-choo – **I know, kind of hard to decide if it should be Neji or Sasuke, they both need Hinata. As for characterizations, well I am trying very hard to keep them in character as much as possible. I am sometimes turned off when writers make Sasuke fall for Hinata so suddenly and out of the blue. Especially when he sees her 'all grown up'. Neji too. I think the beauty of pairing someone up with a quiet and shy person like Hinata is that you get to explore the character's thoughts and the meaningful silences and looks. That's just my opinion though. As for Ino's little Sakura tirade, I hope it wasn't too much out of character for her.

**Crystalline Tears – **OMG! Thanks so much for your review! I do try to keep them in character as much as possible. As for the realism within each character and their relationship with others, thank you so much for feeling that way. I'm so flattered. My favorite part about writing is creating relationships between people and making those relationships develop gradually and in a realistic pace. I hope you also enjoyed this chapter and wasn't disappointed!

**Frosted Shadowz – **Thank you! I'm glad you like the flow of the story so far! As for Sasuke and the little baby in his lap, isn't it just precious? I think Sasuke would make a cute dad. He would try hard to be a good and perfect dad but he wouldn't have any idea how and that' where the cuteness kicks in.

**Kenshinlover2002 – **I was actually watching the first few episodes of Naruto and Sasuke doesn't really seem so bad. He was actually pretty nice to Naruto, offering him food when Naruto was tied up. Sakura would so not have given Naruto food if Sasuke hadn't offered first. As for finding a wife, it would be fun to write him looking at girls with an eye for the future. Hehehe, he's got a lot to consider, that's true and it would be so hilarious!

**Deity of Roses – **I know, the series is so freaking long. I'm only up until the first Chuunin Exams. Most of what I know in advance come from the internet. Make SasuHina, I'm not much of a NaruHina fan. Sasuke would be better for Hinata than Naruto I think, because Naruto is too loud, boisterous and he annoys me at times. Besides, he's so in love with Sakura who is so mean to him. Why does he even like her? Because she's pretty? (sigh) Hinata's so much better and has much more class. Thank you for saying that my fic is beautiful, I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks so much for the lengthy, extensive review.

**Lady of Genesis – **Hehehe, I'm glad you liked the fic. Yeah, I kind of got a lot of review so I decided to continue this fic. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the little NejiHina moment!

**Random Reviewer – **Thanks so much for the review. Sasuke with little Kaori is a cute picture! I wonder what Hinata will think when she sees those two? It would be fun. As for the plot, well I do have a plan and hopefully you will enjoy the journey of this story! I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Zytka – **Who will Hinata end up with? You have to read to find out! But don't worry, this fic will be filled with both NejiHina and SasuHina goodness! Thanks for the review and I'm glad you're liking the story so far. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Lidiana – **Sasuke's adorable! I was watching the first few episodes of Naruto and Sasuke wasn't really so bad. He's actually a lot nicer to Naruto than Sakura ever was.

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**THANKS FOR REVIEWING GUYS, reviews inspire me!**

**The more reviews, the more inspiration, faster updates! **

**If you like _SASUHINA_ fics, go check out _ERA_ by Uncreative Pseudonym, it's a very good fic so give it a try! I think I have a link of it in my profile under Favorites, go check it out! Also go see _The Heir _it's a bit AU but its good.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Moments

**The Logical Conclusion**

**Chapter Four:**Moments

"We're finished here, why don't you go and have the rest of the day off?"

"I still have lessons with Tsunade-sama later on though," Sakura said as she wiped her hands on the apron she used to protect her clothes from blood. Being a medic in training was hard, gruesome work. She actually saw a lot more blood now than she did when she was a Genin and doing mostly D and C rank missions.

It took far less energy to damage a body than to patch it back together.

"Hokage-sama is busy in her office," Shizune answered and this time, it was actually true instead of code for 'She's sleeping in her office'. An important person from one of the larger cities in fire country had come to meet with her and was even now, still in the Hokage's office. "Its likely she will be unavailable until later on."

"Oh…okay. So I don't have to come back later?"

"No, you can go now. See you tomorrow Sakura-chan," Shizune said as she left to do her rounds.

Sakura smiled as she took off her apron. This was great, maybe she could go find Sasuke-kun and spend more time with him. Right about this time, she knew he would be training. He always was and since Naruto was off in another training adventure with Jiraiya-sama (much to Tsunade-sama's anxiety), then she could have more free time with Sasuke-kun! Just the though of being able to spend some alone time with him made Sakura's heart flutter with excitement. They were closer now than they had been when they were still genin, they were comrades, a team and perhaps it could be the beginning of something more.

That time, in the forest of death when the curse seal had overcome Sasuke, she had been so scared that she would lose him to the darkness she could see in his eyes. Sakura hadn't been able to help her self; she'd thrown her arms around him from behind and pressed her cheek to his back crying. She'd been so scared at the cruelty and malice in his eyes, the joy and relish that she could see reflected there as he used his power against their enemies. He'd done it to avenge her.

_Sakura…who did that to you? _

_Tell me who hurt you so I can make them pay._

Sasuke did care.

He wasn't some cold hearted, arrogant avenger like everyone thought. She saw past his mask and saw the pain underneath the cold façade and it made her love him more for it. He was so strong and even though he tries to push people away, she knew deep down that he cared.

He was so cool too and heartbreakingly handsome on top of that.

Sasuke cared for her and for Naruto.

They were a team.

They were comrades.

Sakura wanted to be something more for him and maybe in time, Sasuke will realize that.

She tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear, smiling.

Sasuke cared.

He cared for her.

It was a start.

**XXX**

If there was one thing to be said for introverts, it was that they thought too much. Just because they were quiet didn't mean they didn't have thoughts or things to say. It was just that they rarely voiced their opinions if at all. Sasuke had settled himself beneath the large tree in the Hatake backyard, placing Kaori over to the sandbox to play. After a minute or so, Kaori seemed to grow bored of the sand and crawled over to sit in front of Sasuke and was now eyeing him with those disconcerting red eyes of hers. He lifted an eyebrow at her. Kaori yawned and regarded him with half-lidded eyes.

It was unnerving how the girl's expression was so similar to that of Kakashi's.

It was stupid, why was he locked in a staring contest with the munchkin anyway?

Red Eyes.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, his black eyes bleeding into red so that their eyes were almost identical save for the three black commas surrounding Sasuke's black pupil.

A lot of people had commented how staring at the Sharingan was intimidating but Kaori seemed unbothered as she continued to stare at him lazily before she yawned again and crawled over to sit beside him. He'd drawn one knee up, his wrist resting on it while his other leg was sprawled on the ground. Kaori rubbed her tiny hands over her eyes and leaned against Sasuke, yawning and making little baby noises as she snuggled against him.

Sasuke blinked, his eyes returning to their normal black as he stared at the top of her head.

A baby.

It was strange to have a baby with you.

They were helpless and useless in battle and Sasuke could feel a wet spot on his side, probably from all that baby drool leaking from Kaori's mouth and into his shirt. It probably wasn't the best sleeping position so he picked her up awkwardly and settled her on his lap like he'd seen his former Jounin instructor do a couple of times before.

Kaori opened her eyes and blinked for a moment before settling back down to sleep, her cheek resting on his chest, her thumb inside her mouth while her other hand held on to a handful of the fabric of his shirt.

He looked down at her sleeping form and couldn't help but think how odd it was that here was this creature that had the same genes as Kakashi did. She hadn't been alive before and now, she was here and she would live and grow up and have her own life and yet right now, she was still so small and her bones were so fragile he could easily snap them with a careless gesture on his part.

That was why he was holding her gingerly, because he didn't know how to handle babies.

That was why he was there almost every week now, so he would _know how to handle babies_, just in case.

If he had been Kakashi, Sasuke would never have left his only daughter in his care. He couldn't believe Kurenai even allowed him to hold her. He might have come back but he was still the same. His goals were still the same and although Sasuke wasn't planning on leaving right now, he wasn't sure if it would stay that way forever.

Itachi was still out there and as long as he was still alive, then things were far from over.

Sasuke had dedicated his life to avenging his clan and he would either live with that decision or die trying.

There was nothing else for him.

_Revive your clan…_

How?

Get a wife, a partner that his parents would approve of? Suppose he did decide on someone (which was unlikely since most of the girls he knew were members of his supposed 'fan club' and they grated on his nerves) how was he supposed to go about making her agree to marry him? He was an avenger after all and he would, one day, leave to find and kill Itachi. He wasn't an expert but Sasuke didn't think that a lot of girls would want to get married and have children with someone who planned to leave and might very well die and end up making her a widow with kids to take care of all on her own.

There was truth in Kakashi's words; Sasuke did have most of the female population of Konoha panting after him. Sasuke acknowledged this fact but took little pride in it. Most guys his age would love to be in his position but Sasuke was different. He didn't like it when girls squealed his name and went after him. He wouldn't want the future mother of his children to be prone to such behavior. The Uchihas were a noble clan, a family that prided itself not only on its power, skill, strength and bloodline limit but also in its dignity.

The very fact that some girls were willing to invade his privacy and personal space just to get his attention was a sign of their blatant disrespect and although he knew he wasn't perfect, Sasuke at least knew how to leave things well enough alone.

His mother was an elegant woman, contained, beautiful and refined. Sasuke had loved waking up early in the morning and going down to the kitchen to watch her work on breakfast, her long hair tied in a bun at the nape of her neck. She would smile at him and bid him a good morning and her voice would be soft and calm and it gave him a feeling of peace.

At night, he would dream of her and her voice would be shrill and her hair would be down around her face and she would be pointing a bloody hand at him and asking him why he hadn't avenged her death yet. Sasuke always woke up panting; sweat dripping down his face as his heart pounded heavily against his chest.

Lately though, his dreams, nightmares, had taken on a different theme. Instead of accusing him of failing to avenge their clan, his mother would appear with his father and they would sit by the living room and ask him when they were going to meet his wife. His mother would smile at him and tell him that she trusted him to make the right choice…to make them proud.

How in the world was he going to do that?

He didn't know about those things. Sasuke realized that outside from how to be a good Shinobi; he really didn't know much of anything at all.

_Not enough hatred_.

Itachi told him he wasn't strong enough because his hatred wasn't strong enough…and so Sasuke had tried to cultivate his hate, to relish and nurture it, but all he ended up doing was destroying what little pride he had in himself and what little dignity he'd manage to preserve. The curse seal was a constant, aching, burning reminder of his mistake and what it had almost cost him.

How would his parents react if they were to see him now?

He'd promised to destroy Itachi and in his quest, it felt like he was becoming more and more like Itachi. He didn't even know what kind of person he was. If asked to describe him self, the primary word that came to mind was 'Avenger'…but was that all there was to him?

Sasuke lifted his hand, his thumb wiping a smudge of dirt on Kaori's cheek that she had gotten while playing. Her skin felt so soft against his calloused finger. Her skin was so fragile and yet resilient. The more he watched and observed her, the more he realized he had nothing. Every time he saw her, she grew a little. She learned a little. She changed a little. She was discovering who she was and her place in the world.

Sasuke realized that from the moment his brother's eyes had clashed with his all those years ago and he'd seen how his family had died…he had died as well. He, Sasuke Uchiha, had died at that very moment. What had replaced him was something else, not a human being but an entity for revenge. Yes, as a ninja the experience had prompted him to get stronger and be the best…but as a person, it had stopped him from living and growing.

What was he?

Who was he?

What did he like?

What did he hate?

He didn't know.

As he watched Kaori sleeping, he wondered if he would make a good father and if, having the same blood as Itachi did, he was just as perverse, just as depraved as his older brother was. He had tried to kill his best friend after all. There were times when he would turn to Naruto sometimes and his hand would throb and he would remember just how it felt when his Chidori powered fist had almost…

Would he pass it on to his children?

Would that be his legacy?

Would history, one day repeat itself?

The feeling left something heavy in the pit of his stomach and evoked a reaction inside of him that he wasn't very familiar with. As an unconscious reflex, the Uchiha survivor retreated into the one emotion he was very familiar and comfortable with.

Anger.

It burned inside him as steady and intense as before.

Will it ever fade?

Will his quest ever end?

Not until Itachi was still alive…it wouldn't.

**XXX**

Hinata shifted at the front door of her former sensei's house, holding the basket of baby things she'd brought for Kaori and the arrangement of poppies she'd bought from Ino. Etiquette had been drilled into her from a young age, as much as the proper footwork of the Jyuuken was, and it seemed Hinata had absorbed her lessons in propriety better than she had her lessons in the combat arts exclusive to her family.

It was rude to show up at someone else's house without bringing something for the host.

She tried knocking again, and again no one answered.

With a shrug, Hinata slid the door open, not the least bit surprised that it wasn't locked. Konoha was a Shinobi village and although there were still a bit of crime happening here and there (especially with primary police force, the Uchihas, having been wiped out save for two) no one was foolhardy enough to actually attempt to steal from, vandalize or desecrate a house where two top Jounins resided.

It would have been suicide.

No one was home it seemed, but Hinata had already informed her sensei in advance about her visit today. Maybe Kurenai-sensei had to run out for a while to get something or they were out by the backyard in the playground Kakashi-sensei had set out for Kaori?

She had visited often enough that Kurenai had bought for her a pair of house slippers exclusively for her use. This house was Hinata's ideal home. She was welcomed here and people looked at her with smiles that reached their eyes and they were genuinely happy to see her.

Hinata liked spending her days here better than she liked going home to the Hyuuga compound.

Hinata set down the things she was holding and took off her dusty slippers by the main entryway of the house and traded it for house slippers. It was a light lavender one, not exactly Hinata's favorite color but it was a color Kurenai said she associated with the shy Hyuuga.

Not very many people knew, but Hinata didn't have a favorite color.

Color was color and it seemed irrelevant to her which color she liked best. There really wasn't one she preferred above another. Kiba tried to convince her once that she should pick a color she liked the best because it would make it so much easier for him to pick a gift for her. In the end, Hinata had, to appease him, told him her favorite color was white.

She'd told Neji about it once and he'd smiled at her and said that her answer was appropriate. At first Hinata had thought it was because the Hyuugas were known for their white eyes and penchant for light colored clothing but her theory had proved wrong. The next day, she'd been tending to her garden because it was her day off. Neji had approached her and given her a crystal prism.

"_Since you couldn't decide on what color you liked the best, I thought I should give this to you."_

"_What's that?" Hinata asked, eyeing the crystal in his hand._

"_It's a prism," Neji said, "It looks simple and it doesn't have any color at all. You can actually see through it, like it's not actually there. It looks fragile and it doesn't really attract much attention to itself because of its simplicity and lack of luster." _

_He was looking right at her as he spoke and Hinata had the sneaking suspicion that Neji wasn't speaking just about the crystal in his hand. _

_Neji smiled at her, it was small smile but it was _there_, and held the crystal up towards the sun. The light passed through the crystal and refracted into a million different shades of the rainbow and bathed Hinata and the flowers around her in a starburst of color. "You have to hold it up to the light to really see how beautiful it is."_

_Hinata gasped in delight as she held out a hand and watched the colors played over her skin as Neji turned the prism, creating a kaleidoscope effect. "Kirei…" she breathed. _

"_The crystal looks fragile but it's actually very strong. Most of the time, people think that white is plain and too simple but they're wrong. They're just not looking hard enough." Neji took Hinata's open hand and placed the prism in her palm. "White is the presence of all colors, Hinata-sama. Remember that."_

She'd had part of the crystal made into a pendant. It hung around her neck in a simple black cord. No one would take interest in stealing it because it did not look expensive at all, but to Hinata it was a treasure.

He was her treasure.

And he was being taken away from her.

She closed her eyes and felt that old familiar ache in her heart. It was deeper and more painful than that time when she received the impact of Neji's chakra slamming past her skin through her ribcage and right into her heart. Why did they have to take him away?

Why him?

Why Neji?

He was hers…

How much more pain would she have to endure?

How much more would her family take away from her before they were satisfied?

How long was she supposed to pay for her sin of being born weak, for being born _first?_

When will it be enough?

**XXX**

Tsunade kept her face impassive as she listened to the fat balding man talk on and on about how great the musical group Mourning Angels was and how they were the most sought after music group right now in all of Fire Country, their fame even spreading to other neighboring countries as well. Tsunade didn't really pay much attention to what the man was saying, she didn't care about the Mourning Angels or whatever they called themselves; she was mesmerized by the beads of sweat that popped up from that shining, oily forehead and dripped down the man's face just before he wiped it off with his expensive silk handkerchief.

She briefly considered helping him regulate his temperature so perspiration would not so readily seep from his pores, it would only take a simple jutsu after all and some follow up herbal medicines but he was so blatantly ogling her breasts and his tone was condescending that she though he deserved to be a slimy, fat, balding lecher and left him alone.

"As the manager, I am of course responsible for the band's welfare. Mainly they will be there to control the fans and provide some help if something _untoward_ happens; like an accident where someone gets hurt. It's very hectic out in the road and that's why it would be great if you could provide at least three medics in the team."

"What you came here asking for is a sort of escort mission, correct? An escort mission can easily be handled by a team of Genins with a Jounin instructor."

Takahashi, if possible, started to sweat more as he shook his head. "That will not do! No, I demand more experienced ninjas. The best you have."

Tsunade lifted an eyebrow. There was more to this mission than what Nobu was saying. For artists and famous musicians who only had to deal with fans, there were mercenaries, swordsmen and samurai that were cheaper and easier to hire as bodyguards than Shinobis. "All Leaf Shinobi are the best. We are one of the strongest Hidden Villages and there is a reason why Konoha Shinobi are considered elite."

Takahashi Nobu nodded, "Yes, that's why I came to this village. The owner of the band is extremely cautious and would want to protect his investment. That is why I am requesting a team of perhaps ten ninjas. The Tour in Fire Country would most likely last from two weeks to a month depending on travel conditions. The band has already covered most of the major cities and is due to arrive here for a stopover in a few days. There's only a few more venues left to visit to complete the tour."

"Ten ninjas are a lot."

"Money is no object."

Tsunade rested her elbows on her desk and stared at Nobu, "You're not very familiar with the workings of a contract with a hidden village, are you?" she said. "You prove the parameters my Shinobis will work under but the particulars are up to us. You are staying here until your group arrives correct?"

Nobu nodded wondering how the buxom blonde could suddenly seem so frighteningly cold when a moment ago she was merely a beautiful, buxom, busty blonde. He swiped his face with the handkerchief again.

"Good. Leave your address with my assistants downstairs and we will contact you again," Tsunade stated, ending the meeting. She watched as Nobu stood up awkwardly to leave. He was too nervous, something seemed wrong and Tsunade planned on charging him atrociously for this mission. After all, he'd said money was no object.

Perhaps she should have been nicer? She could picture Sarutobi-sensei glaring at her and admonishing her to be nice and respectful to clients but really, Tsunade could hardly stand the man. Besides, being Hokage was boring and tedious work most of the time (when it wasn't being a pain in the ass) and a girl's got to get her fun somewhere. She smirked and called for one of the ANBU outside her door. "Go get Shizune."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the masked ANBU said just before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

**XXX**

Hinata placed the poppies near the large bay window in the living room. She straightened and several framed photographs caught her eye. It had been a while since she'd visited and she smiled at the new photographs she found there. There were pictures of Kaori on Kakashi's shoulders, a close up of Kaori making a face at the camera, Kurenai kissing Kaori's cheek, Kakashi with his arms around Kurenai who was holding onto Kaori.

Hinata picked up a framed photograph of Team 8.

Kiba had been in the middle, his arms locked around her neck in a friendly headlock as he grinned into the camera. Hinata had both arms up; she was blushing and trying to get Kiba to let go of her. Akamaru was standing on Hinata's head trying to get Shino's glasses from his face while Kurenai had been just about to pick the puppy up before Shino unleashed his destruction bugs on the exuberant nin-dog.

The photographer had made them take a picture again and this time they'd behaved, with Hinata smiling shyly in the middle, Shino and Kiba on each side of her with Akamaru's face peeping in from Kiba's jacket. Kurenai-sensei was leaning in over the three of them, her arms around Shino and Kiba's shoulder as they formed a sort of triangle with Hinata in the middle.

Hinata replaced the photograph and picked up another one, this time it was a picture of Genin Cell 7. Sakura was in the middle, Naruto and Sasuke on each side of her and Kakashi-sensei leaning in, his hands resting one on top of Sasuke and Naruto's head.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata said as she traced his picture with her index finger. She wanted him to be happy. He deserved so much, bless his heart. He was always fighting, always swinging his fists against the world that never seemed to give him any breaks. In a way, he was just like her but he was stronger and he fought back and that was what fascinated her about him.

She admired him and loved who he was and what he stood for…but she didn't _love _him. Not the way she thought she did when she was younger.

Why couldn't Sakura see how wonderful and brave Naruto was? Hinata bit her lip as she remembered Ino's words and felt a surge of dislike for Sakura bubble up inside of her. Hinata pushed the feeling down. Sakura had never done anything bad to her so Hinata really shouldn't dislike her, but when she thought about the hurt the pink haired kunoichi had (unintentionally?) caused Naruto and Ino, Hinata's protective instincts rushed to the surface.

She didn't understand Sakura's actions…it was all for Sasuke wasn't it? Directly or indirectly, everything Sakura did was for and about Sasuke.

Love was destructive sometimes, especially if its one-sided. Like Hinata had once dedicated her life to earning her father and her family's love only to fall short again and again, Sakura must still be trying to gain Sasuke's love. Such devotion was admirable, Hinata had to admit.

_What do you see in him though? _

Team 7.

There were times they seemed more like a love triangle than an actual genin team. It must be hard for Naruto to see Sakura, the one he loves so much, pine away for someone who didn't return her affection. If the pain Hinata had once felt at the sight of Naruto mooning over Sakura was any indication of what Naruto felt, she really did feel sympathetic towards him.

Sympathy.

Not Pity.

Naruto would hate it for anyone to pity him; he was that kind of person.

If only Sakura could see how much Naruto liked her.

If only Sasuke could see how much Sakura had given up, just for the chance to be with him.

What was so great about him anyway? Hinata had never really been one to extol the virtues of one Uchiha Sasuke but she knew a lot of girls liked him.

Why though?

Because he was good looking?

Because he was a talented ninja?

It wasn't enough.

How was he, as a human being?

Hinata didn't know Sasuke very well, but from what she'd seen, he didn't seem to be a stellar example of human compassion.

He was always walking around with that unfriendly scowl on his face, carrying all his darkness and angst like a banner when in fact he was not the only person in the world who had ever really suffered and he wasn't going to be the last one. What made him and his suffering so special? Granted, having his brother kill his entire Clan was heartbreaking and tragic, but what right had he to belittle everyone else?

Sometimes when she saw him, she could see Neji's pained face as he painfully recovered from the wound on his shoulder, the wound that almost cost him his arm. Hinata would see Ino crying at Chouji's bedside asking him to wake up and telling him that she was going to bring him to an All You Can Eat Buffet and that she won't ever take his chips away from him anymore.

Hinata sighed.

People were sometimes so blind, focused on one dream they forget to look around and they miss out on so many chances and opportunities. That was why even though her steps were slow and hesitant, Hinata always made sure that she took in every detail and she was aware of everything around her because there might be something wonderful she would miss if she didn't pay attention or look hard enough.

She felt sorry for Sasuke because just like Neji had been, he was locked in his own world of grief and revenge and anger and hatred and it blinded him.

Neji's eyes were opened now and Hinata wondered what it would take for Sasuke's eyes to be opened as well.

She felt a presence from behind her and turned. She almost dropped the frame in her hand in her surprise. Red began to seep into Hinata's cheeks as she fumbled with the picture frame she was holding, returning it to the spot where she took it from and clasping her hands together in front of her to keep herself from playing with her index fingers.

There, standing right in front of her was Uchiha Sasuke…

Uchiha Sasuke holding a sleeping Kaori-chan in his arms…

The picture he made was so incongruous that Hinata's mind was having a hard time believing it was real. "Uh…U-Uchiha-san…" she finally managed.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Hyuuga."

**XXX**

Kakashi settled his daughter inside her crib, extracting her fingers from their hold on his hair. Really, Kaori never grabbed on to her mother's hair, why was she so fond of his? He kissed his daughter's cheek as he settled the blankets around her, making sure she was comfortable for her nap before he left, the baby monitor on to alert them if Kaori made the tiniest noise of discomfort.

"Sleep tight sweetie," he said feeling a bit silly but not caring because he loved her so much. He smiled beneath his mask as he remembered seeing Sasuke and Hinata staring at each other across the living room, looking like they were about to square off or something. He hadn't wanted to interrupt the little moment, curious as who would speak first, he was betting on Hinata who looked about as uncomfortable as anyone could get, but Kurenai had elbowed him in the stomach and announced their presence to the two silent brunettes.

Hinata had sagged in relief when she saw her sensei and Sasuke had tilted his head to acknowledge their presence before thrusting Kaori in Kakashi's arms and announcing that he was leaving.

Kakashi forced Sasuke to stay for lunch, he needed to help him better control his Sharingan anyway. Sasuke's training with Orochimaru had no doubt left him strong but he was still a bit behind with his Sharingan. Since Orochimaru himself did not possess the special eye technique, he couldn't teach Sasuke how to best utilize it to it's fullest potential.

Kakashi, to some extent, can.

He went into the living room where he found a very uncomfortable looking Hinata concentrating all her attention on the floor. Sasuke sat across from her on the sofa, his arms crossed over his chest, his face turned away, expression blank.

"Having fun yet?" he asked with a smile as he strode in.

**XXX**

Sasuke scowled at Kakashi, who in his old age, seemed to be getting even stranger. Hinata's blush intensified but she smiled a little at the Jounin and stood up to bow and greet him. How someone could blush on top of a blush was something Sasuke couldn't fathom. The entire time they'd been in the living room, he'd watched in semi-amusement how Hyuuga Hinata had tried to formulate some sort of sentence to initiate conversation but ended up just uttering 'A-Anou…' clearing her throat, mumbling 'Uhm…' and then turning away before starting the process all over again.

How annoying.

The Hyuuga was as shy and pathetic as he remembered, probably still mooning over that dobe too.

Sasuke really, really wanted to leave but the lure of improving his Sharingan techniques was too much for him to turn down. Besides, he needed to work harder now than he ever did before. The curse seal was proving more a hindrance to his improvement. He needed to learn to be stronger without activating the seal, which was hard since it still activated automatically sometimes, when he was running low on chakra.

He needed to be independent from the power of the curse seal. He needed to be strong and rely on his own power so that he can push it to its limits of growth and potential. Kakashi had been right, as much as Sasuke hated to admit it. His former sensei had told him that the curse seal will give him a huge amount of chakra but it would also stunt his growth. The chakra given to him by the seal was vast but it wouldn't grow, it wouldn't improve past level 2, it would stay stagnant and Sasuke's potential would remain stagnant as long as he relied on it. Sasuke hadn't listened and now here he was, trying to work around another inconvenience standing in his way.

Sasuke sighed and stood up, "I'm going to go outside to train a little," he said.

"We'll call you when lunch is ready," Kakashi replied.

**XXX**

Things were rarely as they seem. That was why he was so adamant about his students looking underneath the underneath. Sensory perceptions were a good basis for first impressions but you have to think and to analyze critically before stating your conclusion on any given situation.

Complete assessment must be made.

Looking at Hyuuga Hinata, one would never think she would go very far as a Shinobi. She was a slight girl, pale skin, dark hair and white eyes. She was shy, introverted and it was obvious she wasn't made for violence. Shy, gentle people, people like her, didn't make very good ninjas.

There seemed to be nothing extraordinary about her save for her Hyuuga eyes and the bloodline limit she possessed. Kakashi had been surprised at how she'd stood up again and again despite the odds as she fought her cousin in the Chuunin exams.

It had given him a glimpse of what Hinata was capable of.

Sakura had surprised him during the exams too. While he'd been monitoring Naruto and Sasuke's progress as the two got stronger, he hadn't been aware Sakura had gotten so much better as well. He'd been proud of her even though her fight with Ino ended at a draw.

Look underneath the underneath.

Things are almost never as they seem.

Kakashi had found that Hinata was actually very nice to talk to, when she felt comfortable enough with you to actually speak in sentences. It was surprising for her age how much knowledge she had and on a variety of subjects. Contrary to popular belief Kakashi didn't read Icha, Icha Paradise exclusively. He also read other types of books but found that the books written by Jiraiya were the ones that helped pass time the quickest.

In the beginning of his relationship with the genjutsu specialist, Kakashi had tried to get to know Team 8 a bit more (his team had already been disbanded by then) and he'd found that Kurenai's team had a level of teamwork that far surpassed his own team. They utilized each other's potential in their missions and in training they worked hard to improve themselves and each other. No one was ever left behind.

Hinata sort of reminded him of Rin, one of his teammate during his genin days. She'd been a medic too and although Rin was more outgoing and extroverted than the Hyuuga heiress, they were both the glue that kept the group together. He and Obito hadn't gotten along at first and Rin had forced them to (under threat of major bodily harm, of course). Kakashi had observed that Hinata was sort of the same way with her teammates.

Different methods…same result.

They helped make the group a team.

Sakura was…well Sakura had been different. She had liked Sasuke, had been so focused on him that she ignored Naruto's existence. Maybe not always, but Kakashi could see that it would have been perfectly fine with Sakura if Naruto just went off on his own somewhere, so long as she could be alone with her Sasuke-kun. It didn't foster very good camaraderie at all.

The reason Team 7 had been grouped together was that they thought it would be a balance. Sakura could help Naruto tone down his boisterous nature since he did like her after all, she could be a very good influence on him. She might also be able to help show Sasuke that there was more to life than revenge and power and that there were people out there who loved and cared for him.

It was a good plan in theory, but the reality had crashed around their ears. Kakashi thought he could make it work, all three of them had unlimited potential and they were still kids after all. Perhaps in time they would grow and mature and realize that working as a team, together, was key. Maybe they could move past their differences, prejudices and goals and become one as a unit.

Sakura would stop pinning for Sasuke and start working on being stronger.

Naruto would learn to be less loud and more focused. He would realize he didn't need to rush headlong into fulfilling his dream, that being strongest doesn't immediately make one a good candidate for being Hokage.

Sasuke would know that there were people who cared for him in the Leaf. There were more important things than just getting strong on your own. Revenge was not everything.

Time, unfortunately, did not allow for that to happen.

Neither did fate, it seems.

Sasuke left becoming Orochimaru's 'apprentice', Naruto left under the tutelage of Jiraiya, Sakura became Tsunade-sama's apprentice…Team 7 as a group had gone their different ways.

Now, his team was all back in Konoha and all of them had grown up and made mistakes and hopefully learned their lessons. Life was full of lessons, some you had to relearn again and again before it finally sticks to your head.

The Hokage had asked him to take in a new genin team this year and Kakashi wondered if they were going to past his test.

If they did pass…was he going to be a good enough instructor?

**XXX**

Sakura had looked everywhere and hadn't been able to find Sasuke and she was worried about him. She was always worried about him, she was always scared he'd disappear again and never come back. She crossed her arms over her chest and made her way to Kakashi-sensei's house.

She loved going there.

She loved playing with Kaori.

A gust of wind flew past and Sakura's hair, which had grown longer again, began to sway and dance with the wind. She reached up a hand to brush the stray strands of hair back in place and found her thoughts straying towards Hinata and the ribbon she wore.

_Ino gave me the ribbon._

Ino.

When had Hinata and Ino become so close?

Sakura touched the Hitai-ate she wore on her head. It doubled as a sort of headband to keep her hair in place even though she really didn't need it. Her hair was long, full and silky and it was beautiful. Sakura had several male admirers and most of them said it was because they liked her hair and because, like her namesake, she was beautiful.

She was a flower now, in full bloom.

It was gratifying, after Sasuke's rejection, to see that other men found her attractive. It would have been so much easier to just fall in love with one of them, Naruto, but she couldn't. She was fixated on Sasuke for some reason and she only wanted him. He was her childhood dream and she wanted him to like her back: to like her as much as she liked him.

She turned a corner that led to Kakashi and Kurenai-sensei's house. It was a pretty house, comfortable and a bit away from town. It was surrounded by trees and the house had a large backyard too where Kaori could play and train when she was older. There was also a training area a little way away from the house where Kakashi sometimes lets the former Team 7 train together.

Sakura made a detour when she heard a noise coming from the woods. She hid her chakra and came upon the training area to see Sasuke training with several of his clones. Kunais in hand, one Sasuke leapt into the air and twisted his body backwards in a somersault to avoid the attacks the three other Sasuke's were making. He launched the kunais towards the clones.

Each one hit accurately despite the clone's attempts to evade the weapon and then upon contact, the kunais exploded, causing the clones to disappear in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke landed almost soundlessly and he straightened. "I know you're there Sakura…"

Sakura emerged from behind the tree and smiled, "Hi. I was on my way to visit Kaori-chan when I heard you. What are you doing here?"

"Training," Sasuke said with a shrug as he walked over to retrieve his shuriken. He brushed back the damp locks of dark black hair that fell over his eyes.

"I thought you usually trained near the area by the forest of death…"

"I needed to work on my Sharingan techniques," Sasuke replied. "I thought you were going to be training at the hospital today?" Naruto had sough him out earlier that day to remind him to fetch Sakura after her shift since Naruto was going off on some training thing with Jiraiya.

Sakura blushed; smiling at the thought that Sasuke cared enough to know her schedule. "Yeah well, the Hokage was busy today and there wasn't much to do so Shizune-san gave me the day off."

Sasuke gave Sakura as speculative look.

_Revive Your Clan…_

She was the only girl he actually _knew_…

Maybe…?

Giggle. Giggle. Squeal.

Sakura and Sasuke both turned to the source of the sound. Hinata was standing there at the edge of the training ground, her back to them. She'd been sent by Kakashi-sensei to fetch Sasuke for lunch but when she'd seen him and Sakura talking, she felt that she needed to wait because they seemed to be having some sort of 'moment'

Unfortunately, the baby in her arms wasn't quite so considerate.

Hinata smiled a bit awkwardly. "A-Anou…Sumimasen…"

Sakura was surprised to see the white-eyed Hyuuga standing there, an awake Kaori wearing white cat suit pajamas complete with tail and cat ears on her head, in her arms.

"Uh…Kakashi-sensei said to call you…lunch is going to be served in a few minutes…"

**XXX**

Kurenai turned when she heard Kakashi enter the kitchen. "So, you sent Hinata to fetch your student? How lazy of you!"

Kakashi grinned and hugged Kurenai from behind. "Kaori's awake again. Hinata dressed her up in one of the new pajamas she wore. It's a cat one with ears and a tail. It's very cute."

Kurenai smiled. "I bet. We should take a picture. Have Sasuke hold her…that's something that doesn't happen everyday."

"Good idea, maybe we can blackmail him with it some time…"

Kurenai laughed. Kakashi may have been considered a genius ninja but he could also be one of the silliest people she'd ever met. Who ever heard of anyone naming their plant? Not only that but Kakashi used to have a sticker on his old bedroom apartment that said **Warning! Gorgeous Bishonen Alert. Proceed at Your Own Risk.**

"Doesn't Sakura have a thing for your student?"

"So does almost every female in Konoha," Kakashi muttered dryly.

"You think he'd pick her…as future bride material?"

"I don't know. Sasuke's never really shown any partiality to any type of girl so I don't know if he likes Sakura or not. Knowing Sasuke, he's going to want his children to be strong. He wants to revive the Clan and bring it back to its old glory so not any normal girl would do. He's probably going to go after someone from a good family, like him…perhaps someone with a bloodline limit also."

"Well not very many people in Konoha have bloo-…" Kurenai trailed off and turned to glare at Kakashi. "Is _that_ why you sent Hinata off to fetch Sasuke while carrying a baby?"

Kakashi shrugged, looking innocent.

"Kakashi!"

Just as Kurenai was getting into her 'scolding' mode, a flash of pink caught her attention from the corner of her eye and she and Kakashi both turned to see Sakura peek walk into the kitchen with a sheepish smile.

"Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, hope you don't mind I dropped by…"

Kurenai smiled, "Not at all. Have lunch here too, there's plenty for everyone."

"Can I don anything to help."

"You can set the ta-" Kakashi's voice tapered off when Kurenai gave him a glare. He smiled at his student and made shooing motion with his hands. "That's okay Sakura, we can handle it. Go join Hinata and Sasuke."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at their weird behavior but smiled and shrugged. "Okay. Thanks."

Kurenai turned to Kakashi when Sakura was out of earshot. "What about her? She actually _likes _Sasuke, what are you going to do with Sakura?"

"So next time we'll make Sasuke look at Sakura carrying Kaori, it's no big deal," he shrugged.

Kurenai shook her head, "Sasuke and Hinata…? It won't work. Aside from the fact that I think Sasuke would be annoyed by Hinata's nervous nature and that Sasuke would only add to Hinata's anxiety and self-esteem problems, Kiba's very protective and possessive of Hinata, he won't want to share her with Sasuke. Shino is protective of her too and he doesn't trust people easily. Neji would never allow Sasuke near Hinata if he can help it."

"I can understand Inuzuka and Aburame, but the Hyuuga genius?"

"Neji's grown very protective of Hinata over the years."

"Hn…I've always wondered who would come out the winner if the Byakugan were to square off with the Sharingan. Interesting…"

Kurenai rolled her eyes and cracked a smile at her husband's antics. "What am I going to do with you?"

"I have a few ideas…"

"Yours or Jiraiya's?" the female Jounin asked dryly.

Kakashi chuckled. "Well…a little bit of both I guess…"

**XXX**

**A/N: **Not much SasuHina interaction but I am trying to make the transition as realistic as possible so it would take time for the two of them to start to interact and talk. Neji's gone on a mission but he'll be back next chapter for some drama. I guess this is kind of turning into The Kakashi and Kurenai show huh? Sorry, I'm just having fun with the two of them and they are helping the story along. Next chapter there will be more **NejiHinaSasu** action and another one of the Rookie 9 will show up. Thanks to all who reviewed, I really appreciate it. Please review this chapter too cuz it's the only way I'll know if you guys are still enjoying this story or if I've ruined things and should let it drop. Thanks!

**Hokai Amplifier – **Oh absolutely. I hate her too. She grates on my nerves and I have no idea why other people like her. When the part with Ino and Sakura was shown in the anime I was like, 'Oh traitor! And all for a _guy?_'

**Deity of Roses – **Thank you for the long review again! I love reading those the best! Oh you like NaruHina? Well I guess some NaruHina are okay, I've read some really good ones but there are also the annoying bad ones too. Definitely, Hinata rocks way more than Sakura who is just so annoying for me. (Sorry, I really don't like her though I know you do) I love writing SasuHina and NejiHina cuz you really have to work to make the relationship transition believably and I think the relationship would be more poignant that way. I love developing characters and their relationships so that's why. As for the plot, don't worry something will come to you! Plot bunnies can be a pain but I'm sure you'll find one soon.

**MegDeity – **The real pairing, actually I have a plan for that but don't worry in the meantime this fic will be chuck full of NejiHina and SasuHina moments. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Kuro Shi- **love, love your story and thanks so much for the E-mail. I can't wait for the next chapter of your story, it's so intriguing! I'm very happy that you like my story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter also.

**Kanamey – **I really am trying to make the SasuHina part of this fic transition realistically, hence not much interaction between them yet. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, its always so good to hear from you!

**Ayumi-dono – **I'm glad you like my portrayal of Hinata's character and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too. Hinata is my favorite female in Naruto and I think she's got great potential! As for the whole cousin thing, hopefully you won't be so turned off by the NejiHina part of the story. You can enjoy the SasuHina parts. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Hiei Jaganhis Flame – **I'm glad you like the last chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one too. So did you like my story recommends? Era is one of my favorite stories. Not much SasuHina action in the first parts but as the story goes along it gets more and more interesting, neh?

**Muchachangisariray – **I'm so glad you like my fic! Thank you, thank you so much! I love Kurenai and Kakashi together too. Right now, not much SasuHina action since I'm trying to make it as realistic and in character for them as possible so yeah, it will be gradual. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**NanamiYatsumaki – **I love tea too, it's very soothing. As for Kaori, I'm glad you like her and think she's cute! I hope you liked this chapter and it wasn't a disappointment!

**Unknown – **Aw, thanks so much. I'm glad you love my story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

**The Gandhara – **Hi! I'm glad you like the character development in the story. I enjoy developing relationship slowly because it sort of gives it more meaning. I don't like it very much if the attraction is very sudden, somehow it just lack depth I think. As for Two Halves, I've read it and have fallen in love with NaruHina pairing there. A Minute With You is also a good read. I'm actually kind of tempted to try my hand at a NaruHina myself.

**ALS – **Hi! Not much SasuHina interaction, hopefully you aren't disappointed. Don't worry, more SasuHina and NejiHina to come soon. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, did you like this chapter too?

**Khmer Shinobi – **Yeah, I kind of like my oc character too! Yup, he likes Hinata and he's going to feature more in the story in the upcoming chapters so look out for that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Lady SilveRose **- Yeah, we sort of have the same thought. When I saw them, I thought that too. They would be so perfect for each other. Asuma and Kurenai? No way! Hi Kabayan!

**Noname** – Hopefully, I haven't made a 180 degree turn for the worst…what did you think of this chapter? Honestly? Not much SasuHina cuz I wanted to make it as realistic as possible and if they start talking now, it might seem a bit rushed and too contrived. I'm glad you found last chapter humorous, I loved reading your review so thank you!

**Endless – **You know in my other fics I usually write up to like, ten pages or so but in this fic I can't seem to help myself and the chapters always end up long! I'm glad you found the story funny and sweet in some places. Oh you're addicted? (grins) thanks so much and I hope you enjoyed this update!

**Arte73 – **Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the update. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! Also, please, please update your fic, I wanna read more! (puppy eyes) You're a very good writer too, thank you for the encouragement.

**Audriel – **Thank you! Thanks so much for the lovely review I'm glad you like my story. Yeah, I think Sasuke would make a pretty cute daddy! He'd be all fumbling and not knowing what to do but trying anyway! Kawaii!

**Frosted Shadowz – **In most fics, Sasuke is featured as this angst ridden avenger so focused on his dream. He's also mostly portrayed as this perfect, unflappable guy so I wanted to bring him down a peg or two and make him a bit more 'human' hence the whole gay thing. I couldn't resist. As for Kaede, the OC who has a crush on Hinata, yes he will be appearing in the story and it will be funny how he does it. (hopefully)

**Kimochi – **Wow, thank you so much for writing the review. I'm glad that you liked my portrayal of Hinata enough that you read about a pairing you don't particularly care about. I am trying to keep Hinata and all the character developments gradual and believable. Hopefully, you liked this chapter and will keep on reading this story!

**Lesha – **thank you, I'm trying very hard to keep them as much in character as possible! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Ganymede – **I so agree with you! Hinata has tons of potential and Ino is sweet and she's strong too. I really don't like Sakura that much but she's a key character in the story so I have to write her. (sigh) I think Hinata is just afraid of her potential. There's the Naruto PS game where you unlock the Inner Hinata and the true power of the Main House Gentle Fist or something like that. It's so cute!

**Random Reviewer – **Hi! I'm glad you liked last chapter and hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter as well. Not much interaction between SasuHina because I thought it might seem too contrived if they start getting close so soon. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!

**Lily – **Thank you! I'm glad you think they aren't too OOC and I'm so happy that you liked my story. So did you enjoy this chapter as well? Please review!

**Lidiana – **I'm glad you think Sasuke is cute. Its really fun write him all embarrassed! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. More SasuHina and NejiHina goodness next chapter, I promise.

**Fractured Wings 01 – **Yeah, I think Hinata would look really cute with long hair too but there's a reason I'm keeping her hair short for now. I'm so glad you liked this chapter and hopefully you enjoyed this chapter too! Thanks for updating Covet Contract. I love that story, please update soon!

**XXX**

**Please Review, I'm a review hog so yeah, reviews inspire me and prompt me to update sooner. **

**Thanks Everyone!**

**For NejiHina fans check out _Finding The Sun_ by ThyLaSlain**

**For SasuHina fans check out _No Turning Back _by Kuro Shi. **(Not exactly sure what the pairing for this story is but there's lots of great SasuHina moments, especially since the chapter entitled **Hinata**)


	5. Reasons

**The Logical Conclusion **

**Chapter Five:** Reasons

Sasuke stared at the ceiling in his hospital room contemplating murder. Damn that Orochimaru! He mentally added the snake Sanin's name to the list of people he was going to kill. There were now a grand total of two people on that list.

Itachi.

Orochimaru

Sasuke mulled over the order and mentally rearranged it. He'd heard something about Itachi being better and stronger than Orochimaru so perhaps he should set his sights on killing the Sanin first and using him as a stepping-stone towards his ultimate goal of defeating Itachi.

Orochimaru

Itachi

It made sense.

He tried to sit up in bed but collapsed with a pained huff as the seal on his shoulder burned against his skin. He let out a pained gasp and tried to control his breathing, relaxing his muscles and dealing with the contractions of pain as it came in waves.

Stupid Snake Bastard

Sasuke had been practicing some of his moves with the Sharingan under Kakashi's supervision when the seal all of a sudden just activated and this time, as the dark marks spread through his body, it felt like his skin was being burned off with acid and he'd collapsed on his knees with a pained exclamation.

His chakra had been nowhere near depleted and there was no need for the seal to suddenly activate when it did. Through the haze of pain he'd seen Kakashi run up to him, heard Sakura call out his name and saw Hyuuga Hinata take a step back in surprise at the black chakra that enveloped his entire body as he writhed in agony. He figured he pretty much blacked out after that since he couldn't remember anything else that had happened.

How annoying.

Sakura had visited them earlier today and told him he'd been knocked out for a good three days, today being the fourth day. The Hokage had apparently examined him and the progression of the curse seal. As far as Sasuke knew, the curse seal didn't evolve past Level 2 but for some reason, Sakura had informed him that Tsunade-sama thought that the curse seal on his shoulder was mutating somehow.

Sasuke really, _really_ didn't like the sound of that.

He winced as another bout of pain attacked him. At least it wasn't as painful at it had been a while ago. The trick, he'd figured, was to remain as calm as possible. Like water. Just flow with the pain and eventually the waves would calm back down and the surface would return to being placid. To do that, he needed to stop thinking about the people on his hit-list and just stop thinking about anything at all since his whole existence seemed chock full of annoyances.

There was a soft knock on the door before it was pushed open and Sakura peeked inside. "Sasuke-kun, are you awake?"

He wondered if he should just fake it and pretend to be asleep. He didn't feel up to talking to her right now, not to anyone.

"I brought you lunch…"

Screw it. He was hungry. "Uhn…"

Sakura smiled and pushed open the door, holding a pink bento box with Cherry Blossom motif. "I didn't think you'd enjoy the hospital food so I went home and made these. I hope you like them," she murmured with a smile as she pulled up a chair near his bed and presented the lunch to him.

Sasuke accepted the package with a word of thanks and lifted the lid. The aroma of delicious food hit him hard and made him aware of how famished he was but he held control of himself and picked up the chopsticks casually, like he didn't want to stuff his face with the food (even though he really did).

"Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei were very worried about you. I told them you were fine and awake already. They wanted to visit today but I told them they should just come tomorrow. I figured you might not want to see a lot of people yet…"

She was right. He nodded at her. After the first few bites, Sasuke glanced over at Sakura through the dark black locks that obscured his eyes. She was sitting there with a small smile on her lips as she watched him through lowered lashes, a light blush staining her cheeks.

She was always watching him.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked suddenly.

Sakura's blush intensified and she looked down, fiddling with the ends of her long pink hair. "Doing what?" she asked.

"Why do you do these kinds of things? Why do you always look at me? Why do you…why did you bring me lunch?"

Sasukeknew she had a crush on him back in their genin days and she'd said she loved him before but…did she still love him? Why? He'd never done anything to merit it. Naruto was the one who tried to catch her attention, not him. He'd always told her to leave him alone. He'd always told her she was annoying. So why did she continue to look at him and watch him?

"I wanted to," Sakura said simply as she looked up to meet his dark black eyes. "I like you Sasuke and I want to take care of you…" she looked down, her face heating up.

"But…_why_?"

"Why?"

"Yes. Why?"

Sakura didn't know what to say. "I…I guess it's because…I just do…I admire your skills but that's not all…I just…I can't explain it. I've always liked you, even when I was just a little girl. When I first saw you, I realized how cool and wonderful you were and I rushed to tell my friends how I met the coolest, greatest, cutest guy in the world! I didn't even know your name then. I didn't know you were an Uchiha but my other friends did."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He hadn't even realized people had been watching him, even back then. He'd been so focused on his brother and training to be as good as Itachi that he'd never really paid attention to anything outside of that.

"Its like, when I look at you I feel this rush of giddiness and happiness…" Sakura blushed, feeling faint. Here was Sasuke, with his full attention on her asking her why she liked him. She didn't really know why but she knew she did. "I just want to see you smile all the time, that's all. You look beautiful when you smile."

Sasuke looked back down at the assortment of sushi and rice balls neatly arranged inside the bento box. "I see…"

There was an uncomfortable silence before Sakura recovered and smiled at him. "Well, I guess since you're awake and feeling better, I should go fetch Tsunade-sama…" she said as she stood up and quickly left the room.

Sasuke turned towards the door when he heard it close.

He didn't know exactly why he'd asked Sakura that question except that he'd been feeling strangely empty, like he was floating around and there was nothing to anchor him to life.

Maybe it was because he was looking for something to define himself as, other than an Avenger or The Uchiha Survivor.

Perhaps he thought that since Sakura professed that she loved him, she saw something in him that might have missed, something worthy, something that would validate his existence.

'The Coolest, Greatest, Cutest guy in the world!' didn't seem enough.

**xxx**

Hinata was just about finished with pruning the roses in her garden when a wayward thorn snagged her thumb. She jerked her hand back in automatic reaction and stared at the dark red blood welling up in her skin. Her hand was so pale, _she _was so pale, she sometimes wondered if she looked like a ghost to other people.

Hinata was just about to heal her injury with a minor jutsu but remembered Tsunade-sama's words.

_Conserve your chakra. You're going to need it._

She sighed and brought her finger up to her lips and sucked at the blood. Hinata stood up and walked over to the shed, which was more of a small hut really, near the far side of her garden. It served as a second home for Hinata and a haven where she would spend most of her free time.

She rinsed her wound with water from the faucet and rummaged through the medical jars on the cupboard, selecting one and applying the salve on her small wound to prevent any possibility of infection. She wrapped it up in a white bandage and mused at how little difference her color pigment was to that of the stark white cloth she used to cover her wound.

Hinata decided to have some tea and arranged her _chawan_ (tea bowl) and _chasen_ (tea whisk) on the table before she set the kettle on the stove and sat down to wait for the water to boil.

She hadn't really expected her visit to Kurenai-sensei's house to end up the way it had. First, her awkward and unexpected meeting with the Uchiha survivor, and then while she'd volunteered to set the table for lunch, Kakashi-sensei had thrust Kaori-chan in her arms and asked her if she would go and fetch Sasuke. Then there was that embarrassing moment when she'd inadvertently interrupted Sakura and Uchiha-san's little 'talk' with Kaori-chan making that giggling noise.

Hinata didn't think it could get any worse, but again, she was proven wrong.

She been inside with Kaori-chan and Kurenai-sensei when she'd heard Sakura scream and she'd rushed out just in time to see Uchiha-san suddenly collapse on his knees. Hinata had taken a step back in surprised confusion and fear at the black cloud of chakra that surrounded Sasuke and the dark black markings that she could see spreading through his skin. Kakashi-sensei had been beside Sasuke in an instant and Sakura had rushed over to his aid.

Hinatahad realized at that moment that she was seeing what the others had seen when Sasuke had first transformed back in their Genin days in the Forest of Death.

The kettle whistled, signaling that the hot water was ready and distracting Hinata from her thoughts. She stood up and turned the stove off. Hinata lifted the tea scoop and tea container and placed three scoops of tea into the _chawan_. She poured some hot water into the tea bowl and whisked it with the _chasen _to create a thin paste.

There had always been something about the act of preparing tea that Hinata found soothing. It was why she found tea ceremonies so rejuvenating when most people her age thought it was boring and tedious.

Neji was different.

Neji liked tea ceremonies too.

He said he found them relaxing.

They were similar like that.

It had been so long since they'd shared afternoon tea together and Hinata found that she missed him. Nowadays, they hardly ever saw each other anymore, both seeking refuge in their work to escape the Hyuuga House and the preparations for the celebration that neither one of them felt like celebrating.

She missed Neji's company and being able to just sit quietly with him and enjoy his presence and his nearness.

It was Neji who had told her about the incident a while back when Sasuke had defeated the three genins from Sound during the first Chuunin Exam they had taken. She, Kiba and Shino had already been on their way to the tower but apparently the other two genin teams from her class at the academy, as well as Neji-niisan's team had been present to witness the event.

"_Ten-Ten and I arrived to see a battered Lee. Naruto was still out cold and the Haruno girl was beaten up pretty badly. Chouji, Ino and Shikamaru tried protecting Team 7 but they look pretty worse for wear as well. _

_Sasuke woke up a minute or so after Ten-Ten and I arrived. I felt his chakra first; it was strange. When he woke up from his unconscious state, a dark cloud of chakra surrounded him as black marks, like tattoos, spread through his skin. _

_Do you remember the guy Shino faced in the exam? The one wearing a cast and who used Air Blast attacks? Sasuke was the one who had dislocated his shoulder. His teammates surrendered their scrolls so Sasuke would let them leave alive. He didn't look sane at all." _

"_But during the Exam preliminary Exam when the Hokage explained to us what the Chuunin Exam really was, I was standing next to Uchiha-san in line and he didn't have any black marks on him at all…"_

"_That's because the Haruno girl ran to Uchiha and hugged him from behind. I forgot what she said but the marks on Uchiha started to pull back and he seemed to regain more control of himself."_

Hinata remembered standing beside Sasuke and seeing him turn to speak to Sakura who was standing behind him. The proprietor, Hayate-san had asked if anyone didn't feel up to the challenge of the preliminary matches and wanted to quit. Kabuto had raised his hand and left but no one else followed.

From the corner of her eye, Hinata had seen Sakura start to raise her hand and Sasuke had grabbed it before she could fully raise it up. Sakura had said something about being worried about him, that he was already injured and that she was scared something bad would happen to him. Sasuke had replied with something along the lines of Sakura minding her own business, that he was an Avenger and this was the path he chose and how he didn't want her to say anything to the others.

That path he had chosen.

It had led him away from Konoha and his friends and delivered him into the hands of Orochimaru.

He was lucky he came to his senses before it was too late.

The thin paste was ready and Hinata added more water and whisked it into a thick liquid; a tea called koicha.

She waited for it to cool before she took a sip.

**xxx**

About thirty minutes after Sakura left, the Hokage had entered Sasuke's room to re-examine him. After taking a look at his chart, she glanced at him and asked how he was feeling.

"Fine," he replied. Sasuke wondered why Tsunade herself had made an appearance in his room and if it was a sign of exactly how bad his situation was.

"Nothing hurts at all? No aches, pains, burning sensation around the seal?"

"There is…sometimes."

"Aches, pains, burning sensation? Take your pick."

"All of the above."

"I see," Tsunade a note in her clipboard and glanced at Uchiha. His color was better now that it had been a few days ago when he'd first been admitted. Sakura had been near hysterics in panic. For a smart girl, Tsunade wondered how her apprentice could be so easily affected by this young man. "You probably know about the seal mutating."

"Yes. Sakura mentioned something like that to me but I don't think it's possible. The curse seal can only reach Level 2 and I've already activated that. That's the highest it can go."

"Supposedly yes, but Orochimaru is constantly experimenting and the test results show that your curse seal is changing to cope with the sudden growth of your chakra reserves. Your own abilities have now exceeded that of what a ninja with a Level 2 curse seal can do and that's probably why Orochimaru's mark is adapting to your new level of strength. Was there any changes that you felt when it suddenly activated?"

"It was different. When it was spreading, it felt like my skin was peeling off, being burned of my acid."

A thoughtful look crossed Tsunade's face as she wrote something down on the clipboard. "I see. How often do you feel the pain?"

"I'm not sure…it comes and goes at random intervals. If I try to use chakra, it hurts the worst."

"Well the seal that Kakashi had placed around Orochimaru's curse seal is holding up due to your will power. It hasn't broken yet. However, I don't think it would be strong enough to hold for long. We'll have to place another, stronger seal around it to hold off the effects of Orochimaru's mark."

Dark eyes narrowed and burned intensely. "So, I will have this for life? Each time I grow stronger, I will have to deal with the curse seal re-adapting itself to my current level of strength?"

"Yes. There is a possibility that you would have to spend the rest of your life coping with the seal's effects."

Sasuke kept his face impassive though the sentence made his insides twist in disgust at himself. What had he been thinking, taking such a stupid risk and running off with that snake bastard? Look where it got him. He kept silent.

Tsunade studied Sasuke's expression, not really surprised when the teenager showed no reaction at all. "While you've been laid out, we've been conducting tests to see just how far the seal has developed and how strongly it has integrated itself into your system. The results are being examined.

Anko's mark has grown dormant through the years. We'll be comparing both your curse seals to try and see if can find away to induce a similar state in yours. You will have to be tested again for a more in depth analysis later today. We're going to see exactly how deep Orochimaru got his claws into you, and then we'll see if we can do something about it."

**xxx**

Tsunade had sent Sakura to fetch Hinata and Sakura ran as fast as she could to the Hyuuga part of the Village. It wasn't that difficult for her to gain entry past the guards that watched over the gates since Hinata had already informed them to expect someone from the hospital to fetch her. Besides that, Sakura herself was already a respected medic and apprentice to the Hokage herself and it gave her a certain amount of authority in Konoha.

One inside the gates, Sakura realized she had no idea where to go. The Hyuuga Estate was far larger than the Uchiha's and Sakura had never been here before. She didn't know where to start looking for Hinata. The guards seemed to sense her quandary and one of them told her that she would most likely find Hinata-sama in her private garden.

Sakura had no idea where that was.

The guard seemed to pick up on that also and told her to follow him.

Sakura smiled, relieved and nodded her thanks.

As she walked, Sakura realized exactly how large a Clan the Hyuugas were. The grounds of the estate looked imposing and utterly impressive. It was so large and the structures were grand in its simplicity and austere elegance. Hinata was the Hyuuga heiress and one day she would be head of the noblest family in Konoha.

Sakura really didn't understand her sometimes. Why has Hinata so shy most of the time? She was so timid and nervous around people. She was an heiress and part of the noblest clan not only in Konoha but also in the whole of Fire Country. She had all the reasons to hold her head up high and lord her position over everyone else.

Instead Hinata behaved meekly and was always quiet and soft spoken. Sakura had never really gotten to know the other girl that well. She was always with Naruto and Sasuke but perhaps she should spend more time with Hinata too. In a way she admired Hinata because she didn't grow up snobby and pretentious like some of the other girls from rich families.

She was a very nice person and perhaps she could help the Hyuuga heiress catch a certain blonde's eye. Hinata was pretty, it was just that she needed to be more confident and assertive and Sakura could help her out with that too. Sakura could remember Hinata always watching Naruto from the sidelines. She recalled how Hinata had blushed prettily when Naruto had spoken to her that time at the hospital grounds when he complimented her about the ribbon and her hair.

Naruto was sweet but he didn't seem to realize that Hinata liked him. He didn't notice her. Sakura knew, quite painfully, what it felt like to not be acknowledged by the one you love and she didn't want Hinata to suffer that feeling any longer. Besides, Naruto deserved someone to love him wholeheartedly, someone who would appreciate him.

It was time those two got together.

**xxx**

"Hinata-sama…"

"Come in."

The shoji slid open and a Hyuuga Branch House member bowed to her in greeting. "Hinata-sama, a Haruno Sakura is here to see you. She said she has been sent by the Hokage to fetch you."

So it was time already.

Uchiha Sasuke was awake.

She felt so nervous that she barely managed a smile, "A-Arigato Seiji-san."

Hinata blinked when she saw Sakura peek out from behind Seiji and wave at her.

Seiji for his part; was surprised that Hinata-sama knew his name, though his expression didn't show it. Then again, Hinata-sama seemed to know everyone's names. Even those from the Branch House like him. No wonder Neji-san was so protective of her. No wonder some of the Branch House members were lamenting the fact that she was being forced to step down as heir. Seiji bowed once more, this time more deeply to show his respect, before he took his leave.

As soon as Seiji left, Sakura burst into a big smile and rushed to Hinata. "Hinata, he's awake! Sasuke-kun's awake already!"

"I'm glad to hear that Sakura-san," Hinata said honestly. She'd felt bad, watching Sakura cry and worry over Sasuke non-stop. She really cared for him, a lot and it was clear that Sasuke's condition pained Sakura greatly.

Sakura beamed. "You will be examining him, right? You'll see if his seal can be made dormant like Anko-san's, right?"

She was nervous about that part. Hinata smiled faintly, "Hai."

Four days ago, Sasuke Uchiha had collapsed and been rushed to the hospital. After hearing of his condition and what had caused it, the Godaime Hokage herself had examined him and stabilized his condition. After that, there was nothing else to be done but wait for him to wake up.

Sakura had spent most of her time by his bedside looking after him. Hinata knew how it felt to wait and be scared and she felt sympathetic towards the pink haired kunoichi.

The day after Uchiha Sasuke's admission to the hospital, Tsunade had called on Anko so to analyze the workings of her seal. Anko had been able to cope well with her seal and it had actually faded from her skin in the past. The only reason it had resurfaced again had been because she had come in contact with Orochimaru once more. That had been years ago and Anko's seal was dormant once again.

Hinata had almost fainted from anxiety when the Hokage had called for her to use her Byakugan to scan Anko-san's seal. She'd been so scared she'd trigger it somehow. All she knew about seals had been from past studies and diagrams.

She'd never done anything that involved a live person before.

It was dangerous work, not only for her but also for the bearer of the seal, which was why Tsunade-sama was there in the ready in case anything went wrong.

"I'm here Hinata, I won't let anything happen. You know what to do. You've been studying up on this for a long time. It's time to put it to practice. Just relax and do your work, you can do it."

Hinata had bitten her lip and nodded, taking a deep calming breath before proceeding. She kept repeating to herself that the Tsunade-sama was there and that the Hokage would not let anything bad happen. She needed to do this. to be a good medic, she shouldn't let herself be controlled by her anxieties and fears. The life of her patient was more important than her hang-ups.

This was the first step to better understanding curse seals.

Someday, she might be able to find a way to erase the ugly mark of a caged bird that separated her family.

She might be able to free Neji at last.

Hinata concentrated on the task at hand.

Activating her Byakugan, Hinata's vision penetrated through the layer of skin and into the inner system. She enveloped the area around the curse seal with chakra to prevent the seal from activating and followed the path that it wove around Anko-san's body. The second step was to figure out how the chakra from the seal passed through the body's chakra highways and which route it took. Hinata had almost passed out from chakra depletion at the exertion and Hokage-sama had had her admitted to a room in the hospital for the night and the next morning, she was ordered to go home, rest up and conserve her chakra because she was going to need it.

Sakura was so happy that she gave Hinata a hug. "Thank you so much. I'm so happy he's awake…and you're going to help make him better. Thank you so much!"

Hinata blushed. "A-Anou…Sakura-san…uh…I'm not d-doing that much...I'll just be examining him…"

"That's the most important job. Don't try to play it down Hinata. You're amazing!" Sakura smiled when Hinata remained embarrassed. "I'm sure you'll do great. Now come on let's go. Tsunade-sama is expecting us. By the way Hinata, your house is huge!" Sakura said as they hurried off to the front of the estate.

"Uh…its not mine. It's the clan's…"

"Yeah but you're the heiress right?"

"Uhm…" _Not for long…_

**xxx**

Shikamaru and his Genin Team were on their way back to Konoha after yet another successful escort mission, this time to Wave Country. It was so strange to walk through The Great Naruto Bridge and even stranger to run into Naruto and his perverted-sensei as they were being chased by enraged women from a near-by bathhouse.

Naruto had kept yelling curses at Jiraiya-san whom he called 'ero-senin', saying it was all his fault and asking why such an old man had to be such a pervert.

Jiraiya had retorted that he'd been doing research for his next book and that things would have been just fine if Naruto hadn't shown up and yelled at him to stop peeping, therefore alerting the women that there was indeed someone peeping on them.

It had been quite troublesome.

Why was the Hokage so fond of giving his team C-rank missions anyway? The only reason he'd signed up for Jounin instructor had been because he was looking forward to 'supervising' his team as they weeded out someone else's garden, leaving him free to watch the clouds at his leisure.

"Neh, Shikamaru-sensei, do you think Yamanaka-sensei would like my gift for her?"

"Yes Yutaro, I'm sure Ino would love that bracelet," Shikamaru muttered under his breath. All the way back, Yutaro had been asking the same question over and over again, wanting to know if he thought Yamanaka-sensei would like the piece of jewelry he'd picked in Wave country. "Ino likes anything sparkly so she'll like that for sure."

Yutaro grinned seemingly satisfied with that, but Shikamaru wasn't fooled. He'd give the genin about five, ten minutes tops before he started asking 'the question' again.

"Nara-sensei, you walk too slow! You're so lazy!" Suzume Miyazawa complained from a few feet ahead, her blonde pigtails swinging perkily with each step she took.

This from the girl who called him 'Nara-sensei' instead of his preferred 'Shikamaru-sensei' because apparently, Shikamaru was too long a name. "You can go on ahead Miyazawa, we'll catch up," he replied.

Miyazawa gave him the evil eye before turning ahead and mumbling something about telling Ino-sensei about his shameful behavior. What was it about blondes and being troublesome, Shikamaru wondered as he thought of Ino, Temari and the latest addition to his troublesome blonde collection, Suzume Miyazawa. He glanced at Daisuke, Chouji's cousin, who was the only one walking quietly beside him while eating his ever-present bag of chips.

Honestly, where did they hide those in their clothes? Chouji had been the same way, ever able to produce a snack seemingly out of thin air.

Shikamaru considered looking skyward as he walked, just to see if there were any interesting clouds floating above his head but he decided against it.

It was too troublesome to be bothered with.

**xxx**

There was a four point seal etched on the floor connecting the north, east, south and west points. In the middle sat Sasuke, his torso bare to allow easier access and analysis on the seal on his shoulder. Hinata was at the middle, kneeling behind getting ready to start the process. Sakura finished connecting the four points of the seal and nodded to Hinata.

Shizune and Tsunade both watched as Hinata's fingers flew through the familiar hand seals as she activated her Byakugan. Veins bulged out from the corners of her eyes as her vision narrowed and penetrated the layer of skin. Hinata concentrated on the chakra pathways and sought out the seal.

There it was; black, ugly and pulsing.

Her initial reaction was to cringe.

It was somewhat similar to Anko-san's but the design in Sasuke's curse seal was so much more complex. It not only swamped his chakra pathways when she allowed it to activate a bit but it had almost integrated itself around Sasuke's spine so that trying to sever it might just render the Uchiha paralyzed.

She allowed a little more of the seal to trickle out and activate under her palms. Hinata felt the muscles on Sasuke's back jump in reaction to the sting of pain the seal's activation forced on him. "Gomen…" Hinata murmured as she continued to survey the extent of Orochimaru's hold on Uchiha-san's body.

Halfway through the process, Hinata began to feel lightheaded but she pushed the feeling away and tried to see the extent of the seal. She tried to probe it with little chakra shots to see if the black mass reacted to her chakra at all. There was something strange in how it moved…maybe she could divert the flow and reroute it in on itself? It was almost like a virus or poison in the way that it spreads. If she could maybe find a way to reroute it…

Just as she was following a path that might divert the route the seal took and loop it on itself, Hinata's vision dimmed, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as she blacked out.

The last thing Hinata was aware of was a pair of arms catching her as she fell backward and Tsunade-sama's voice ordering Shizune to check her pulse.

**xxx**

The Hyuuga Estate was enveloped in quiet as the family members retired to their rooms to sleep. Hanabi stood by her window and looked out at the grounds being patrolled by several Branch House members to keep the perimeter safe and free from intruders.

She waited thirty minutes before she turned away from the window and headed back to her bed. She would need to wake up early tomorrow morning and she needed sleep, but even as she lay in bed, she couldn't quite make her mind stop thinking.

Hinata wasn't home yet.

Hinata probably won't be coming home tonight. She was most likely at the hospital, where she always was.

Hanabi knew this, only because she'd heard the others in the family discussing it. How Hinata was a medic-nin now and how she was still a lowly Chuunin, failing the Jounin Exam and tarnishing the Hyuuga name yet again.

Hanabi also heard mention of her sister from some of her former classmates in the Academy and her teammates.

It always made her feel weird that other people knew more about her Hinata than she did.

The last straw had been a few days ago when someone she barely knew had approached her about her sister.

"_Oi neh Hanabi-san, I heard your sister is Hinata-chan from the hospital? Is it true?"_

"_Hinata? Yes, she is." Hanabi replied, wondering why this inconsequential genin was even speaking to her. Then she remembered he had been her classmate at the Academy and he had failed the Chuunin Exam. "Why do you ask?"_

"_Well, see my brother got back from a mission with a really bad wound and they said he wasn't going to be able to use his left leg anymore, but guess what Hanabi…he got better! He says that Hinata Hyuuga was the one who helped him and that she was super nice too!"_

_Hanabi raised an eyebrow and said nothing, thinking the conversation was over._

"_Neh Hanabi-san, you must be so proud huh? Your sister is one of the Hokage's apprentice, cool huh?"_

That had gotten Hanabi's attention. She hadn't known about Hinata being the Hokage's apprentice. That meant she was really skilled but…why did everyone keep saying that Hinata was worthless and weak and unworthy?

It didn't make sense at all.

There were a lot of things in her family that she didn't understand.

Hanabi didn't understand her cousin or her sister.

She remembered that Neji was supposed to hate the Main House, especially Hinata. He'd even almost killed her once before during the Chuunin Exams. Then, Neji had suddenly started acting nice (for Neji) and protecting Hinata. Hanabi had been surprised when Otousan started to train Neji like he did her. He would even let her spar with Neji sometimes because it was good to test her skills against the Hyuuga genius.

She heard the other members of the Main House talk about the breach of conduct that teaching a Branch House member Main House skills was, but they could do nothing about it for Hiashi was the Clan Head and they had no power over him.

Hanabi wondered why her father still did not train Hinata but she never asked. Hinata was never a topic her father liked to discuss with her. He always got that look, like her was displeased and Hanabi hated displeasing her father so she never mentioned Hinata to him again.

One time, she was practicing her Byakugan trying to see how far she could extend her sight. Quite by accident, she saw Neji teaching Hinata how to fight using the techniques Hanabi and he had already mastered weeks before. At first, Hanabi had thought that her cousin had been attacking her sister. Neji had been standing over a bruised and bleeding Hinata who was panting on the ground, clearly on the verge of passing out.

Hanabi thought Hinata would not stand up, it was clear she was in too much pain.

She saw Neji's lips move and read his words.

"_Would you prove them right, Hinata-sama…?"_

Hanabi's eyes widened slightly in surprise as she watched her sister start to rise slowly from the ground. Hinata assumed the fighting position and attacked, their training commencing once more.

If Hinata was supposedly weak, why did she get up?

If Neji hated the Main House, why did he help the heir?

Hanabi didn't understand them at all.

She did understand one thing though.

Neji and Hinata were both purposely avoiding going home.

**XXX**

**To Be Continued **

**XXX**

**A/N: **Thanks everyone for your reviews I really appreciate them! Argh, this chapter was so hard to write! It's somewhat a filler chapter I suppose. About the curse seal and stuff about chakra and all, I made most of them up and I hope you guys don't mind. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Originally this chapter was longer because it had the Neji scene and all but I decided to cut it in half because it was too long. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter and please **REVIEW! **

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

**ABC Otaku – **Babies wearing animal costumes are super kawaii. They're adorable!

**Ayumi-dono – **Here you go, I updated! I hope you enjoyed it! please review!

**Random Reviewer – **I love NejiHina too! I'm not sure which I like more though. NejiHina or SasuHina though there are more well written NejiHina fics than SasuHina fics. Love triangles are always fun!

**Khmer Shinobi – **Yup. A sort of one-sided SasuSaku. You can't write Sasuke without Sakura in love with him or getting over her love for him. As for Kaede, he'll show up soon so don't worry.

**Fractured Wings 01 – **Why would I tease you? I'm glad you like my story! Anytime you have any suggestions or ideas, feel free to share them if you want! I'm really glad you like my story and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Lady of Genesis – **Oh you read those two stories already? Aren't they cool? Do you have any story recommendations for me? I haven't been in the Naruto fandom for long so I don't know, maybe I'm missing some fabulously written fics out there. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter!

**Shells – **When Sasuke starts to see Hinata as potential wife material, its going to be hilarious and dramatic too. As for everyone's reactions it will vary but mostly they'll probably be like O.o; hehehe

**Lesha – **I'm so happy you like my portrayal of Hinata. She's my favorite character! As for team 8, SasuHina moments and Kaede, more will be coming up soon, don't worry! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Hokai Amplifier – **I know, I don't like Sakura at all. She annoys me to no end. To bad she's like, one of the main characters. Hinata is so much cooler than her, why was she chosen as the apprentice of the Hokage anyway? Grrrr. (I'm so mean to Sakura) Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! I read your fics too and I hope you update soon!

**Endless – **I love Kakashi and he's a funny character to write. Devious yet silly. I've always wondered who would win too. Byakugan or Sharingan? I'm glad you liked last chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one too!

**The Gandhara – **I know, its somewhat hard to get Hinata's hair correctly. (I draw and its hard to draw her hair, I had to do it a ton of times before I got it right) As for the Kakashi Kurenai show, I love it too and there will be more of them next chapter and in the following chapters. I hope Hinata shows up after the time jump and I hope she's gorgeous and confident and strong!

**Frosted Shadowz – **I think the Sasuke/Kaori picture would be precious. Especially if Sasuke is looking away from the camera and blushing while Kaori gums his thumb and smiles at the camera! Kawaii! As for Neji, he'll be showing up next chapter!

**Hiei Jaganshis Flame – **Oh yeah, I love Era and can't wait for the Romance part to begin. Sasuke seems so mysterious in that fic. Did you try out Kuro Shi's fic, No turning Back? It's very good too. I'm glad you think I'm doing a good job on making things more realistic! Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Felonious – **Actually, Kakashi wasn't born with the Sharingan so no, Kaori won't be inheriting a Sharingan eye.

**Qwerty – **Thanks! I'm glad you like my story! I love Kakashi and Kurenai together. The moment I saw them, I immediately thought they would be cute together! I guess it's my subconscious's way of refusing to accept the Kakashi/Sakura pairing. (grins)

**Ah-choo – **I haven't asked anyone to draw Kaori yet but if you wanna draw her, I don't mind! (grins) Anyway, I really like the Kurenai/Kakashi pairing for some reason. I refuse to accept a Kurenai/Asuma pairing, I just like her better with Kakashi. Hehehe. As for Sakura's reaction to Hinata…well things are going to be interesting soon.

**Kuro Shi – **Thanks! I'm glad you liked this chapter! I saw that you updated and I'm so excited to read it, I just wanted to get this chapter done first though. Anyway, yeah I know what you mean about people not knowing each other well and then suddenly falling in love at first sight. It kind of seems superficial and sometimes annoying. I don't like it when a story is about Hinata growing up really beautiful and then the guys just start paying attention to her because of that, it kind of lacks depth in a way. I don't like Sakura all that much and I haven no idea what happens after the time jump so my views of her might be outdated already but I see her as annoying and I don't like it when she's mean to Naruto when she's even more useless than he is, Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Toorikosu – **(hugs) You loved the prism scene! Yay! That was my most favorite scene in the whole chapter and I'm glad you liked it! (hugs) I think Kakashi and Kurenai so belong together! Ha! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Megdeity – **I'm not exactly sure if you flamed me or if that was a review. Well anyway, I hope this chapter was more to your liking! (smiles)

**Muchachangistariray – **hi there! Wow, so you're reading my other fics as well huh? Thanks and I'm glad that you enjoy them. Give Only With You a try. It's one of my favorite stories that I have written so far. Yup, SasuHina development should be slow and I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one too!

**Audriel – **I completely agree with everything you said! Hinata I think is the best candidate for Sasuke because she sees him as he is. She isn't blinded by his good looks and she doesn't measure someone through their ability, strength or looks (obviously since she fell for Naruto even when he was still dead last) She sees what's inside a person's heart. She also would be able to understand Sasuke's drive for strength. Sakura always hinders Sasuke telling him not to push himself too hard because he might get hurt. I think Hinata would understand him better because she herself trains to exhaustion. They would be good together I think. Plus I doubt if Sasuke would actually want future Uchihas to have pink hair.

**Lems – **LOL! Yeah, I'm not very fond of Sakura too so I agree with your views. Wait a few more chapters, I'm looking forward to making Sakura jealous actually. I like getting on her nerves too. I think she's kind of mean in the anime and superficial and too boy crazy. She's always putting Naruto down. (sigh) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Kanamey – **Thanks! I'm glad you like the story progression. Yup, I love Kakashi, he's so cool! As for Sakura, that's just my view of her and I'm glad you think I'm writing her in character. I don't like her much but I don't like to bash characters in fics because each one has a reason for behaving the way that they do.

**OspreyAnimeG – **Thanks for the encouragement! I'm glad you think I write well and that you're enjoying my story! I hope you enjoyed this update!

**ShirakuTo – **Thanks! Yup, I think Kaori and Hinata would be cute! I'm glad you like this story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

**CuteXenni – **Here you go, I wrote more! Hope you liked it! Please review!

**NanamiYatsumaki – **I'm glad you like Kaori! As for Sakura, yeah, I think so too. She's always going on and on about Sasuke, it gets annoying. I haven't yet gone very far in the anime and I haven't seen anything after the time jump so I guess my view of her is outdated but I'm just not a big Sakura fan. Hinata rocks, so does Ino and Ten-Ten and Temari!

**No Name – **Hi! Thanks for the wonderful review again! You read my other fics as well right? I know what you mean about fics like that. I've read quite a few of those too and I always think how unfair that is to Hinata's development. She comes from a very strict and traditional family and on top of that, she's shy so she wouldn't just go kiss some guy and start 'frenching' him even though she does love him. It would take some time for her to be comfortable enough. Don't worry about long reviews, I love receiving them!

**ALS – **I'm glad you're willing to wait. I'll try to make sure the wait is worth it! As for Neji, he will be appearing next chapter. I tried to put his scene here but it would have made the whole chapter too long.

**Kaylene-chan – **Oh yeah, I think NejiHina are so cute together too! Yup, I feel the same way about Sakura but I am trying to give her good points so sorry if its like I'm bashing her. It's just the way I see how her mind works. Most of the things she does are usually for Sasuke so that's why. I will try to cut her some slack. Sorry if it felt like I was bashing her or something. It wasn't my intention. As for Hinata, she's my favorite character and yeah, I do believe she has a lot of potential. I'm glad you don't think my portrayal of characters are OC. I'm trying very hard to keep them as much in character as possible.

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**They inspire me and prompt me to update faster! **

**Press the Go button please and don't forget to review! **

**Thanks!**


	6. Connections

**The Logical Conclusion**

**A/N: **It might seem a bit Sasuke/Sakura but don't worry, I don't really like that pairing so they WILL NOT END UP TOGETHER. I don't want them to. (Grins) This a long chapter, hope you enjoy!

**Chapter Six: **Connections

Sasuke didn't like being shirtless and sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded on all points with dark writings on the floor. The writings sort of reminded him of what Kakashi-sensei had done, right after his fight in the Chuunin Exams.

That process had hurt like a sonovabitch and he'd passed out right after.

He didn't take kindly to the prospect of crying out in pain and then passing out right now, not with witnesses he barely knew. The only person he was really familiar with was Sakura and that didn't help any.

The Fifth told him that Hinata would need to get close to him, to touch him and to study the machinations of his cursed seal. He hadn't been very happy to hear that, he didn't like people touching him. The only consolation, if it could be considered that, was that Hinata didn't seem to be looking forward to the physical contact with him either. She'd tried to hide it, but he could see that she would much rather not touch him at all if possible. She was fidgety and she reminded Sasuke of one of a little rabbit he'd seen once.

The rabbit had been backed into a corner by a particularly large snake.

That was what Hinata looked like; a cornered prey.

It felt almost like a violation as all three medics; Shizune, Tsunade and Sakura watched Hinata get in place behind him. He felt like some sort of experiment. It wasn't a good feeling, especially for someone as reticent as him. His privacy was very important to him and this felt like an invasion.

Through the myriad of thoughts that kept going around in his head, Sasuke kept his expression blank as he stared at the far side of the room. He kept his eyes locked there so he wouldn't have to see anything else. He focused all his attention there because somehow, he knew that if he felt cornered enough, he might just bolt.

"Byakugan…" a soft voice, barely a whisper, and then Sasuke felt a pair of hands touch his back. Feather light, trembling and hesitant before finally coming fully in contact with his skin.

Hinata's palms felt warm against the skin of his back and it provided a stark contrast to the slight chill in the cavernous room. Sasuke controlled the instinctive jump of his muscles at the contact. He couldn't remember the last time someone had touched him there. Skin to Skin.

If it were up to him, he would have shrugged her hand off. He wasn't used to people touching him so…so _intimately_. And he knew that Hinata really didn't want to touch him either. Briefly, Sasuke wondered if he should be insulted. Was he that revolting to the Hyuuga? But then again hadn't he always wanted to be left alone? It was better that way and at least with Hinata, he didn't need to worry about molestation in the guise of medical aid.

He wanted, _needed_ to know about the seal on his shoulder.

He stayed silent and still and let the warm hand on his back grow even warmer as chakra seeped from her fingertips. He actually _felt _it flow through him and surround the seal. There was a numbing sensation almost like ice was being applied to a hot burning wound. His tense muscles relaxed and his rigid shoulders slumped as he let her do her work.

His eyelids drooped a little as the warmth seeping into his skin and spreading through his body relaxed him to the point of drowsiness…

Pain.

Sasuke sucked in a breath inaudibly at the stab of unexpected pain and he stiffened in response. For a moment, he thought the seal was activating again and he braced himself for the onslaught, his muscles tensing in preparation to gritting it out and bearing it.

"Gomen…"

He heard her voice faintly, as if from a distance. He felt the slight trembling of her hand on his back before the numbing feeling around his curse seal redoubled and he felt something warm pass through his chakra highway. The pain was eased and then it disappeared as if it never was but he could still feel the power flow through him.

A few moments later, Sasuke felt the steady flow of chakra shield surrounding his seal start to thin out and the slight pressure of Hinata's palm on the skin of his back start to slacken. He barely had time to turn around and catch her to keep her head from hitting the floor as she collapsed in a dead faint.

**xxx**

"Lay her on the ground please, Uchiha," Tsunade ordered as she rushed forward, ready to examine her apprentice's condition. A green glow infused the Hokage's hands as she placed it directly above Hinata's heart. There was a visible transfer of energy as Tsunade concentrated her energy on stabilizing Hinata's heartbeat.

Hinata's prone body lifted off the floor once in a jerk before it settled again.

"Is she okay, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura breathed in worry.

"She's fine Sakura. Heartbeat is a bit erratic but it's stabilizing." The green glow around Tsunade's hands lessened in brightness and spread to encompass all of Hinata's body, not only her chest area. "She'll be fine but its best to keep her in the hospital for a few days. Have one of the nurses prepare a room will you?"

Sakura nodded and rushed off to do as the Hokage instructed.

Shizune checked up on Sasuke and pronounced him healthy and unharmed. Sasuke asked for his shirt back and he slipped it on before asking what had happened to make the Hyuuga faint.

"Chakra depletion." Tsunade ran her hand about an inch over Hinata's form to make sure none of her organs were damaged and the temporary chakra she'd given the girl was flowing smoothly. The glow from her hands dissipated completely. "Examining a curse seal is difficult," she explained. "You have to quarantine the point of origin before you can begin the examination and it uses a lot of chakra."

Sasuke crossed his arms as he observed the female Hokage tend to her apprentice. He'd felt Hinata's chakra surround the area of his seal. There was something he didn't understand though. In battle, ninjas would often retreat before they reached a critical low in their chakra reserves because it was dangerous. Severe chakra depletion if left untreated for long, could cause damage to internal organs and in some cases, be fatal. "Couldn't she sense when her chakra reserves are reaching a dangerously low point?"

"Hinata's chakra control isn't as perfect as Sakura's though she's close. She must have seen something in your seal she wanted to investigate further and lost track of time and her body's limits so she passed out from the drain on her system."

**xxx**

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Sasuke blinked as he realized his mind had drifted off and he'd been staring at the unconscious Hyuuga lying in bed in front of him for who knows how long. He sighed and tuned out the rhythmic beeping of the machine that monitored the Hyuuga's condition and the even rise and fall of her chest as she breathed with the aid of the respirator.

He studied her and wondered how someone could be so pale. Was her skin resistant to sunlight or something? He could see the blue veins underneath the skin of her wrist. Well, he wasn't really any better since his skin tone was only _slightly _darker than hers.

It had been strange to see her tilt back so suddenly, as if the life had been sucked out of her and he'd barely had time to move to catch her before her head hit the ground.

Something in his seal had merited further investigation and he wondered what exactly Hinata saw. If there was anyway its effects on him could be lessened or perhaps abolished completely.

He was here out of some sense of obligation.

After all, he was partly the cause of her collapse.

How surprising. Who would have thought the shiest girl in his Academy Class would end up as a Hokage's apprentice? Sakura was as well and he'd always thought that she was a weakling and useless. Shows how much he knows. He wasn't a very good judge of character then, was he? Those he thought were weak and useless and would never amount to anything were now proving him wrong.

Naruto.

Hinata.

Sakura.

Sasuke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Flashbacks of his childhood kept coming back to him. In the past, it had happened rarely and all he really remembered of his childhood was going home one day after playing and seeing his whole clan massacred by his then adored older brother. All he'd ever really heard were the screams of his family mixed with his.

It was strange how, when he sometimes looked at Hinata, he would remembered a part of his childhood he'd forgotten long ago. Things and events he hadn't though about in years would suddenly return to him.

It didn't make sense though. He'd seen Hinata often enough during his Academy days and even as a genin, but back then the sight of her had never really triggered any of his old childhood memories.

Kakashi-sensei words might have something to do with his sudden awareness of family and his lack thereof. He'd been so focused on killing Itachi that he had been blinded to everything else, but now he was starting to remember the past.

His past didn't just consist of his clan's gruesome murder. It also consisted of people. People he had loved and people who had cared for him. There had been that moment in his life when the future had been golden and filled with promise. He'd forgotten about that. Forgotten how good it felt to have a family to go home to.

_Rebuild your clan first…then you can go after Itachi._

Sometimes, it didn't seem like such a bad idea at all.

He focused his attention on Hinata's face. She looked a little bit like his family did and she reminded him of them. The Uchihas came from the Hyuugas after all so in essence they shared more or less the same genes.

Pale Skin.

Dark Hair.

Only, his eyes were black and hers were pure white.

_The sooner I find out what's going on with me, the sooner I can do something about it! Wake up, damn it! I need to know what's wrong with me! What did you see?_

Sasuke heard the door open but he kept his gaze trained on Hinata, willing her to open her eyes.

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

That familiar voice that always seemed to say his name in the vague tone of entreaty. Sasuke tilted his head and looked at a very surprised Sakura hovering by the door.

Sakura sucked in her breath in a rush. Sasuke was seated in a chair by the window and the sun was setting behind him creating a backdrop of golden light that outlined his whole being and made him seem almost glowing. "I…I was worried when I didn't see you in your room. W-What are you doing here?" Sakura managed to ask.

"I wanted to ask her about my curse seal."

"O-Oh…" Sakura bit her lip and nodded. "A-Are you feeling better?"

"I'm fine."

"Tsunade-sama thinks Hinata won't wake up until tomorrow. You've been through a lot too. You should get some rest Sasuke-kun." Sakura smiled, slightly dazed by the play of light over Sasuke's skin.

Sasuke stood up, "_Wakatta.._."

**xxx**

"Say Otousan…O-T-O-U-S-A-N…"

Kurenai neatly chopped the vegetables she was preparing for dinner and set them aside before working on the meat. "No, make her say Okaasan first, Kakashi."

"I don't know love. That seems a bit of a mouthful."

Kurenai snorted. "Its not any harder to say than Otousan is. You just want her first word to be about you."

"Hey, she's her daddy's little girl after all…" Kakashi said tilting his chair back and balancing it to smile at Kurenai.

"Careful, you might unbalance and hit your head," she cautioned.

"I've had worse head injuries."

"It shows."

Kakashi laughed, moving to righten his chair. He reached out for Kaori who was happily flopped down on the kitchen table where he daddy had placed her. "Neh Kaori-chan, see how your mother is so mean to your Otousan?"

Kaori smiled at him.

Kurenai combined all the ingredients for the stew and put the lid on the pot to wait for the whole thing to cook. She prepared tea for herself because they'd run out of coffee. "You want tea, anata?"

"No thanks, I've got a handful of squirming baby and she might get burned."

Kurenai smiled, poured hot water from the thermos into a large mug and dunked a bag of tea into it, watching the clear liquid grow murky. She could hear Kakashi making silly noises as he talked with Kaori and couldn't help but wonder at what a great father he'd turned out to be. She thought Kakashi was a lazy pervert when she'd first met him but she had heard of him (he was famous) and she respected his skill and strength.

It was only later that she realized there was so much more hidden in the depths of those half-lidded eyes.

She never wanted to see that lonely, empty look in his eyes again. She considered it her own personal mission in life to make him happy. She walked over to the table and took a seat beside Kakashi, bending to brush a brief kiss to her husband's lips.

When Kaori saw her, the little girl smiled and waved her arms to get near Kurenai.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "I feel rejected and hurt," he said as he passed over Kaori and took the tea from Kurenai. "Mind if I take a sip?"

"Go ahead," Kurenai replied as Kaori snuggled against her and laid her neck in the crook of her mother's shoulder.

Kakashi watched this with a small smile. "You two look beautiful together." He could watch them forever and not feel bored at all.

Kurenai smiled at him and patted Kaori's back. "Are you planning to visit Sasuke again tomorrow? Sakura's right you know. I don't think he would appreciate visitors right now."

"As long as he's doing fine and is awake, its enough for me to know." Kakashi answered with a shrug. "Besides, with Sakura there to guard him, I'm not really worried about Sasuke much."

"She's been in love with him a long time, hasn't she?"

Kakashi smiled. "Sakura likes Sasuke and Naruto likes Sakura…you know what could be worse?"

"What?"

"If Sasuke ended up having feelings for Naruto. Then team 7 would really be a soap opera."

"Sasuke would have to be gay for that to happen and you know how violently opposed he is to the idea," Kurenai said with a laugh. "Poor Sasuke, I think it would take him a while to live that gay thing down."

"The girls don't seem to mind." Kakashi said with a shrug. "They refuse to believe the rumor."

Kurenai smirked. "You know, before I thought you and Gai had some sort of thing going on…"

Kakashi blanched and almost choked on his tea. "What?"

Kurenai grinned at her husband's horrified expression. "Well he did seem particularly obsessed with you. I thought perhaps he was an old boyfriend, scorned."

"Don't you EVER say anything like that again," Kakashi said with a grimace.

Kurenai laughed even harder, prompting Kaori to giggle. "Gomen," she apologized when Kakashi gave her a sullen/pouty look. Kurenai would have leaned in and sucked on his bottom lip if she wasn't holding Kaori right then. "Neh, Kakashi…"

"What?"

"Don't worry. Sasuke's going to be okay."

Kakashi was startled at Kurenai's words. He gave her a rueful smile. "I can never hide anything from you, can I?"

"I don't want you to smile when you don't feel like it. I don't want you to pretend everything okay when it's not. It's just like wearing a mask Kakashi, don't hide your emotions from me. I know your worried about your students, I can understand that because even though Kiba and Shino and Hinata are no longer under my supervision, I still care about them…"

"Its hard to be involved you know. You feel responsible and…I guess its too late now. Those kids have wormed their way into my life."

"Its not so bad to have people in your life, anata."

Kakashi glanced up at Kurenai and saw her soft cinnamon eyes looking at him with a quiet sort of understanding. "No, it's not," he agreed. Kaori made a little noise and squirmed in Kurenai's arms. "Kurenai, I think Kaori's hungry."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at Kakashi's happy grin. "I swear, you're always happier than Kaori during feeding time."

"You breastfeed," Kakashi smiled and cocked an eyebrow. "Can you blame me?"

**xxx**

Hinata awakened the early the next day and the first thing she saw were red eyes looking down at her with concern. "K-Kurenai-sensei…"

"You had me worried…they said you fainted yesterday."

"Chakra depletion…"

"Yes. How are you feeling?"

Hinata struggled to sit up but failed. She sighed. "I…I'm fine…just a bit tired I guess…" she closed her eyes at the feel of Kurenai's hands brushing the hair off of her face. Sometimes, in moments like these, Hinata wanted to cry because she missed her mother so much.

"Kakashi is here, visiting with Sasuke. I came with him and found out what happened to you yesterday. Hokage-sama and Shizune are both concerned about you too. They're busy with Kaori right now. I'll give you a minute to prepare yourself for the lecture before I call them in, okay?"

Hinata smiled slightly, her eyes still closed. "Hai. Arigato sensei."

Kurenai smiled, her eyes just a tiny bit sad. "Daijoubu…"

**xxx**

"What do you mean I can't leave?" Sasuke demanded, outraged. He really should have just gone out the window like the last time he'd been at the hospital instead of taking the door. He briefly contemplated knocking the nurse unconscious but thought better. That course of action would not endear him to the Hokage and she and her apprentices were the only ones he could count on right now to help him deal with Orochimaru's freaking seal.

"Please Uchiha-san, control yourself."

That just annoyed Sasuke and he upped the ante of his death glare a notch.

The nurse seemed to get the message and wilted a bit, but she was still firm and still standing in his way. "Uchiha-san, be reasonable you cannot just…"

"Oi, oi…it's so early in the morning and already you're causing problems? I think Naruto's had a bad influence in you eh Sasuke?"

Sasuke glared at the white haired, mask wearing Jounin whose one visible eye was currently smiling at him in amusement. "They won't let me go out of this room. I'm not sick, I don't need to be quarantined like this," he stated as calmly as he could. His voice was infused with ice.

Kakashi glanced at the nurse and told her she could go. "I'll take care of it."

The nurse breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out. For someone so beautiful, Uchiha Sasuke could be very scary.

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and glared.

Kakashi was unperturbed as he crossed the room and sat down on Sasuke's vacated bed. "This is a nice place. Look at that, you have flowers. Sakura brought them?"

"…"

"You shouldn't be so stubborn and rude to the nurses. You never know what they might slip into the hospital food they bring you, huh?"

"…"

"You can't leave…Hokage's orders. If you try, ANBU will retrieve you, bring you back here and make sure you stay put."

"As if they could catch me," Sasuke snarled.

"Well, you are stronger than the average ANBU, I'll give you that. But, have you forgotten about the seal? It might act up at the most inopportune moment. It's detrimental to you fighting skills and you chakra control. Are you willing to risk permanent damage?"

"I don't appreciate being kept under lock and key like this." It felt too much like he was being kept prisoner and he didn't like the feeling.

"You aren't. Tsunade-sama says that they need to keep you under observation to determine the status of your curse seal and learn more about it. My wife is with Hinata right now, she still hasn't woken up yet but she's expected to in a few hours or so."

Sasuke's hands fisted at his side.

"You're also, by the way, not allowed to train any form of jutsu in your stay at the hospital. No physical or chakra exertion, they don't want to take the risk of you activating your seal again."

"So what am I supposed to do here? Rot?"

Kakashi grinned and fished out a familiar book from his pouch. "That's what I'm here for…to provide you with adequate and enjoyable reading materials."

Sasuke's face burned red and he turned away from the book being waved happily in front of him. "No."

"What? It's a very popular volume. The first one in the series!"

"No."

"You never know, you might pick up some pointers on how to enjoy repopulating that clan of yours. I'll lend you the tamest one and then we'll proceed from there. Might be good for the wedding night, you never know."

"I'm not a pervert."

"Neither am I."

Sasuke snorted. _Yeah right._

"You sure? Oh well, anytime you change your mind, just let me know…"

The door opened and Kurenai came in carrying Kaori in her arms. "Hello Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded in greeting.

"Kaori seems to have taken quite a liking to you," Kurenai said with a smile as her baby girl made little noises and reached out her chubby arms towards Sasuke, her legs kicking excitedly.

Sasuke after spending time with Kaori these past couple of weeks, automatically reached out his arms for her. His face was a mask of surprise when Kaori was in his arms and she was happily tugging on his hair.

Kakashi chuckled. "Hinata's awake huh?"

"Yes and Tsunade-sama and Shizune are both chewing her out for yesterday. What did happen? All she told me was that she fainted from chakra depletion."

Kakashi didn't say anything and Sasuke knew it was up to him to fill her in. "She was studying my curse seal and she fainted from the exertion."

"Oh…I see…" Kurenai glanced at Kakashi, wondering why Sasuke's tone was more abrupt, annoyed and glacial than usual.

"They're making him stay here and he's not allowed to practice his skills. No taijutsu, genjutsu and especially no ninjutsu…" Kakashi whispered to her.

"Uhm…"

Sasuke ignored them and concentrated on getting Kaori's sticky fingers out of his hair.

**xxx**

Hinata was examined and admonished for endangering herself needlessly. She was declared physically fine in the afternoon after some tests and from that point on it became hectic for her, Tsunade, Sakura and Shizune.

Research took up most of the medic's time though the bulk of it fell on Hinata and Sakura's shoulders since Tsunade was Hokage and responsible for other matters concerning the village and Shizune was a Special Jounin and had other responsibilities as well.

Hinata's revelations about Sasuke's curse seal had surprised the Hokage. Sasuke didn't look very happy when he learned exactly what Hinata had seen. His hand had gripped the wooden arm of the chair he was sitting in so hard that he crushed it.

"We're going to do our best Sasuke-kun…" Sakura had told him when he'd walked out of the conference room.

Sasuke didn't stop walking.

Sakura was called back into the room and she hesitated for a moment, before she followed the summons.

From then on, all four of the best medical specialists in Konoha became embroiled in research and planning as to how to tackle the seal. The matter was considered Top Secret. The Village was having a hard enough time trying to accept Sasuke and not fear for an invasion from Orochimaru without them knowing exactly how deep the Snake Sanin had gotten his claws into the Uchiha.

Anko was brought up for further investigation and comparison and for the next two days, Sasuke spent a great deal of his time naked from the waist up, with his curse seal being examined by Hinata, though this time for shorter periods.

They would have discharged him, nothing was physically wrong with him save the seal, but they didn't want him using any chakra in the meantime to aggravate his 'condition' and since Sasuke was known for training until he collapsed, they all thought it would be better to keep him in the hospital where they could keep an eye on him.

Of course, Sasuke did not like the arrangement at all.

**xxx**

As much as he hated to admit it, Sasuke missed the dobe's presence. At least with Naruto around, things wouldn't be so painfully…_boring_. He'd only been in the hospital for two days and already he was feeling trapped. Who knows how long it would take before they discharged him? He would have left a long time ago if it weren't for the description Hinata had given regarding the state of his cursed seal. It cemented Orochimaru's status in the Uchiha Sasuke Hit-List.

The endless hours he spent in his room gave him too much time to brood and think which was really bad because it instigated reactions from his seal. How could Naruto stand the fact that _something _was inside of him _all the freaking time? _Sasuke was having a hard enough time trying to wrap his mind around the fact that there was this black mass taking over him from the inside, but at least his was _not alive_ hopefully. Naruto had the _Kyuubi_ inside him!

_I guess it's different. He was born that way, he didn't really have any choice. I on the other hand…this happened to me through my own fault. _

_Shit._

He was frustrated and bored out of his mind and he finally just gave in and asked to borrow one of Kakashi-sensei's novels. He should have known that nothing good would amount to it. Not when his former sensei was smiling and practically radiating amusement. Normally Sasuke would never even dream of reading such material, but in his desperation, he relented.

After reading the first page though, Sasuke's face heated up and he closed the book quickly, shoving it beneath his bed never to be opened again.

It was the _tamest_ novel in the series?

He had never thought that the female body could actually bend _that way _or _that far. _It defied the law of physics! As if he would submit the future mother of his children (whoever she might be) to…to _that position_…the position that the girl in the book had assumed. NEVER! Although she was supposed to have enjoyed it and the man had…NO! Sasuke shoved the mental picture out of mind and thought of Kakashi lying naked in the desert with flesh eating ants crawling over his skin and feasting on his flesh. His _decaying _flesh, because Sasuke had already 'Chidori-ed' him into the next life…

On the third day, the tediousness of his situation started to _really grate _on Sasuke's nerves. Not only that but the nurses were getting on his nerves too. Not the older ones but the younger ones; the ones who were still in training.

What were they doing always checking his temperature and stuff? He wasn't here because he was sick. He was there because he was under observation and nothing more. What did they need his temperature for? They would pile in everyday and say they were just tending to his room, making sure he was comfortable…just doing their jobs.

Sasuke commented to Sakura about it once and asked that the 'invasion' be stopped. Sakura had blinked in surprise before her eyes narrowed in anger a second later. Then, in a flash, her features arranged themselves in a semblance of a smile. "Don't worry Sasuke-kun, I'll report this to Shizune-san. Shizune-san, Hinata, Tsunade-sama and I are the only ones who are allowed in here. Plus your visitors of course," Sakura had said in a calm voice.

Inner Sakura was raging mad. _"Those perverts! They were totally molesting my Sasuke-kun! No one touches him but ME!"_

**xxx**

When Kurenai came to visit Sasuke with Kakashi on the afternoon of the third day of his stay, she also brought Kaori with her again. That had become the start of Kaori's daily visit to Sasuke's room. Kakashi noticed that his books weren't doing he job of alleviating Sasuke's boredom and Sasuke seemed taken with Kaori (as much as Sasuke could be taken with anything non-training related) and so he brought her along with him everyday to visit Sasuke. The little girl didn't seem to mind being in Sasuke's care as long as she was back home with her mommy during feeding time.

Sasuke, with Kaori to keep his mind from the interminable hours of the day, deigned to leave his room and venture outside to walk the hospital grounds; especially the garden where quite a few medicinal herbs were being grown. The little girl seemed to enjoy playing with plants and smelling flowers.

Sasuke sighed and put on his normal clothes; black pants and a dark blue shirt stenciled with an Uchiha symbol (Sakura had helpfully packed up a few of his things from home when it became evident he would need to stay in the hospital for a bit longer). He wanted to go back home to the Uchiha Mansion. It might be dreary and gloomy and it might remind him that his whole Clan was dead but it was still his home and it was one of the few places he was comfortable in.

**xxx**

The sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky, big fat clouds floating lazily by. Hinata lifted her head up to the sun, feeling the warmth start to lull her to sleep. With a deep inhalation, she continued on her way back to the hospital. It was still early, not even afternoon yet, and Hinata was feeling tired already.

She'd been in the hospital for five straight days, had slept, ate and worked there too. She had gone home once and only briefly, to get a change of clothes and the necessary toiletries.

_Do they even realize I haven't been sleeping at home in five days?_

_No one visited me, not even when I was passed out. I'm sure Hokage-sama informed my family, but no one came. I checked the records…maybe I shouldn't have but…I wanted to know…_

She'd just come from the Academy to apologize to Ino that she couldn't conduct the 'talk' she promised because there were too many things to do at the hospital. Ino had been understanding, but more than that, she'd expressed worry over Hinata and the lavender circles beneath the other girl's eyes.

"_I'm sure Tsunade-sama's not pushing you to overextend yourself in whatever project it is you're working on."_

"_No, of course not." _

"_Then why do you?"_

Because Hinata wanted to do as much as she could…because the picture of that black…black _thing_ inside Uchiha Sasuke's body…the thought that given enough time it would integrate itself completely into his system…it made Hinata feel sick to her stomach. She didn't tell Ino though because it was nobody else's business other than Sasuke's and those who were helping to treat his 'condition'.

She just gave Ino a wan smile.

"_It's more than that, isn't it," Ino had pressed. "You're worried about Neji, aren't you?"_

_Hinata dropped her head and looked away. She slipped her hands into her pockets to keep herself from pushing the tips of her index fingers together in that telltale gesture her body assumed whenever she felt nervous or embarrassed. "H-He hasn't come home y-yet…I know his mission is supposed to take a while but…Neji-niisan has been going on mission so frequently lately. One after the o-other…"_

_Ino knew how much Neji meant to Hinata and she gave her friend a comforting hug. "Don't worry. Neji's a pro. You think he'd let anyone keep him from returning home to you?"_

Sometimes, Hinata wondered exactly how much her friends knew. Did they sense her true feelings towards Neji? How can they when Hinata wasn't exactly sure what they were her self? Her relationship with Neji was complex, chock full of bad history and bad memories and cherished moments. Shared feelings, silences…it was complicated and hard to analyze but Hinata treasured it nonetheless. He was her Neji-niisan and she was his Hinata-sama, they were friends, relatives, cousins, and yet…he was also something so much more. How much more Hinata didn't quite know. All she knew was that she wanted Neji safe and she wanted him home, here with her.

Hinata sighed and continued towards the hospital.

_Please let Neji-niisan come back home safely…_

**xxx**

Ino's day had started out pretty badly, clouded with her worry over Hinata and compounded with her exasperation with most of her students. They were all so busy discussing the band called Mourning Angels that very few even noticed that Ino had entered the room. Sure, Ino liked that band too, their lead singer was gorgeous, but that didn't mean she appreciated her students not paying attention to her. It was not appropriate behavior for an aspiring Shinobi.

It was times like these that she wondered how in the world they could be good ninjas when they can't even keep their mouth's shut for a few seconds.

"Hey listen up guys, my dad owns the largest hotel in town and the manager for Mourning Angels is staying there! He says that the band is going to be in the village in a few days!" Chiyo had announced with a smug smile as everyone in class turned their attention her way. "Since the manager is staying at our hotel, I'm going to ask him if I could see the band and ask for autographs!"

Most of the class, those that hadn't noticed Ino's presence yet, all announced how cool they thought it was and how they wanted autographs too and if Chiyo could get one for them.

Being a teacher was tough work and today was definitely _one of those days_.

Ino sighed as she watched her students filter out of the classroom. Being a teacher was very rewarding but there were also some moments where she was very tempted to pull at her hair.

It was lunchtime, a couple more hours before she could dismiss that class. She wanted to talk to Shikamaru. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kaede waiting at the door for her and Ino smiled at him and asked if there was something she could do for him.

"Is Hyuuga-san alright?"

Ino smiled slightly and nodded. This boy was just too gorgeous. He was standing there feigning indifference that Ino would have bought if she hadn't caught that fact that he'd been sullen most of the morning after learning that Hinata was not going to show up today.

"Hinata's fine, but she has a lot of responsibilities right now. There's no class tomorrow. If you want, you can visit her at the hospital. I'm sure she'd like that."

"Hn…" To his credit, Kaede didn't blush or stammer _at all_. He just inclined his head and thanked her for her time before walking off.

"Ah Hinata. When he gets old enough, I think Kaede will make it really difficult for you to say no to him…"

Ino thought of her female students who were constantly fighting over Kaede; the boy was never rude but made it quite clear that he was not interested. Unfortunately, like in Sasuke and Neji's cases, the more Kaede told his fan girls to go away, the more they crowded to him and cooed about his ultra cool attitude.

"_Get away from Sasuke, Ino-pig!"_

"_Shut up you forehead girl!"_

Ino cringed at the wayward memory. Thank goodness that was all in the past now. How deluded was she back then? Ino grinned and shook her head, glancing at her watch. Classes would end later in the afternoon and she still had time to talk to Shikamaru about her plan.

**xxx**

"You both should get some rest."

Hinata gave a mental smile of gratitude at Shizune-san. Her eyes ached as if she had used her Byakugan non-stop for three weeks.

"B-But Shizune-san…"

"It's okay Sakura. The information we've gleaned about curse seals are being analyzed right now. There's really nothing more we can do but wait and see if its enough to help Sasuke-kun."

Sakura turned towards the window, a look of hope and anxiety mixing within her expressive verdant eyes. The concern she felt for Sasuke was pulsing off of her in waves.

Shizune put a hand on Sakura's shoulder and smiled encouragingly. "Tsunade-sama is one of the best medics Konoha has ever produced. Her skills and talents are renowned the world over. If anyone can find a way to help Sasuke, she can."

Sakura nodded but didn't look away from the window. "Arigato, Shizune-san," she whispered softly.

Hinata heard all this but did not open her eyes to see.

"You girls get some rest. You've been working long hours. Especially you Hinata, you know how you get when your chakra reaches a dangerously low point. We don't want that little incident five days ago to happen again."

Hinata opened her eyes and gave a rueful half-smile at her sensei. "Gomen," Hinata murmured, remembering the lecture Tsunade-sama had given her when she awoke. She glanced down at her hands, resting on the table. She fiddled with her fingers before she curled them into fists to control the gesture.

Shizune's eyes softened as she looked at the two girls seated at the table. Both were clearly exhausted, they had worked very hard these past few days. They were diligent, dedicated and uncomplaining and they would make very good medics one day. "Being a medic, our patients are our priority, but we must also take care of ourselves. Who would take care of the patients if the medic gets sick neh?"

There was silence after Shizune's departure, neither girl moving from their position.

"Hinata…"

Hinata looked up, surprised to hear Sakura's voice. "Hai?"

Sakura was still looking out at the window, her profile facing Hinata. Most of her features obscured by the shadows cast by her long pink hair and it gave her a decidedly morose look. Sakura took a deep, shuddering breath. "Sa-Sasuke-kun is going to be alright, right?"

Hinata couldn't assure Sakura that everything would be all right; not when there was a very real possibility that everything might not turn out for the best. "H-Have faith Sakura-san. Tsunade-sama will do everything she can for him," Hinata paused sensing somehow that Sakura needed more. Hinata didn't know what else to say. "Anou Uchiha-san…he seems…you must have faith in him. Trust that he would not let something like this keep him from…from obtaining his goals…"

Sakura turned to stare at Hinata for a little while before a soft smile dawned on her face. "Thanks. I know that already but I guess…I needed to hear it from someone else."

_Don't worry. Neji's a pro. You think he'd let anyone keep him from coming home to you?_ Hinata returned the smile, "We all need a reminder now and again…"

Sakura nodded and a silent understanding passed between them.

"You care about him a lot, don't you?" Hinata asked softly, as she eyed the other girl.

Sakura nodded. "He's very important to me."

"What about Naruto-kun?" Hinata found herself asking even though she knew she shouldn't because the question was too personal and it was none of her business. She and Sakura were NOT FRIENDS, they were colleagues, acquaintances but nothing more. _I have no right to ask, I know but…you're very important to Naruto-kun and I…he cares so much for you…I need to know…_

Sakura was surprised at the question and she stared blankly at Hinata for the space of a few heartbeats, "What about Naruto?" she asked, confused.

Hinata shook her head, "Nothing." _You're hurting Naruto-kun, just like Uchiha-san is hurting you…and you don't even know it do you?_ "Would you like some tea Sakura-san? Or coffee?"

"Tea is fine, thank you."

Hinata nodded and stood up. "I'll go get some." _It would be so easy to blame you but…you can't really choose the one you love. _Hinata thought of her family, her father. _And you can't really force someone you love to love you back. _

Sakura watched Hinata go. _You really do care about Naruto don't you? I have to make him see that, try to make him appreciate you. At least then, one of us gets to be happy. _

**xxx**

Shikamaru yawned and half listened as Ino discussed Kaede with Ten-Ten as all three of them headed towards the hospital. Why did Ino have to drag him to this excursion? Couldn't it be just a girl's night out so he could stay at home and laze in peace? He was concerned about Hinata too but he didn't think his presence would make much of a difference. Not unless he pulled a henge to look like Neji.

Shikamaru opted for walking a bit behind them, this way he wouldn't be expected to join in the conversation. Not that he even had much to say about the topic the two girls were currently discussing.

"Kaede asked if Hinata was doing okay," Ino said as she absently brushed a lock of blonde hair off her shoulder.

"That's so sweet!" Ten-Ten said with a smile. She'd also visited Ino's class before and she'd seen Kaede, nice kid and very cute. "Too bad he's only twelve. I saw him, he's gorgeous."

"Like I told Hinata, it's only a few years and when Kaede's legal, it won't matter anyway." Ino shrugged. "He's a Number One Rookie and he comes from a noble family. Maybe not exactly in league with Hyuugas and Uchihas but close enough."

Shikamaru had half a mind to accuse them of pedophilia, with the way they were gushing at the twelve-year-old boy. Too bad there was no one around right now who would appreciate the joke except him. Ino and Ten-Ten would most likely gut him if he opened his mouth and he didn't have a death wish thank you very much.

"The good thing about Kaede is that he's nice too, relatively. I mean he's quiet and a bit distant but he isn't grumpy or surly or rude."

"I know, one of my genins has a crush on Kaede too. Couldn't stop blathering on about him actually. She kind of reminds me of you in your 'Sasuke-kun' stage!" Ten-Ten teased. "Neh Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru's smirked, "Aa."

"Oi Ten-Ten, need I remind you that you thought he was cute too?"

"He is cute, but I refrained from making a fool of myself…something neither you or Sakura seemed to have done successfully." Ten-Ten grinned at Shikamaru and they shared an amused smile.

"No fair!" Ino glared at them both. "That's hitting below the belt you guys! Besides, I am so over that phase of my life!"

Shikamaru was glad. He liked Ino a lot better, now that she wasn't constantly making a fool of herself over Uchiha.

Ino cleared her throat, "Anyway, I was trying to make a point. You know how Neji is. He's so over protective of Hinata, he practically emanates killing intent whenever someone male so much as looks at his 'Hinata-sama' in the wrong way. She should be going out on dates, trying to get out of her shell! No guy will ever ask her out in fear of Neji. I'm sure you guys have noticed too."

"Yeah, I guess Neji _is_ overdoing the protective cousin thing." Ten-Ten shrugged. "But Neji's intense like that. He takes his duties very seriously. If he says he won't let you die, you won't die until he dies first."

Ino glanced at Shikamaru as if expecting him to comment.

_Do I have to? Ah, she'll probably pester me more if I don't. I better just say something. _"It's none of our business Ino," Shikamaru said, ignoring Ino's glare. Ino liked to meddle in people's lives too much. Admittedly, it was always good intentioned but sometimes you just had to leave some things alone. "I don't think Hinata minds either. You know how Hyuugas are. It's probably normal behavior for them." _This is so troublesome. Ino's poking her nose where it doesn't belong, _**_again. _**

When the trio reached the double doors that led into the hospital, Shikamaru balked. Ino's eye flickered over to him but she didn't miss a step and she didn't say anything.

"You're not coming with us inside?" Ten-Ten asked.

"Too troublesome. I'll just wait by the chair over there."

Ten-Ten looked like she was going to say something but Ino grabbed her arm and pulled. "Let's go Ten-Ten. Shikamaru's just too lazy to walk inside."

When they were gone, Shikamaru walked to the chair and sat down, tilting his head back and looking up at the dark sky. He didn't like being in the hospital at all, too many bad memories.

It reminded him how much he didn't like being the leader. He didn't like being in charge of other people's welfare...their lives. If someone got hurt in a mission he was leading, he would carry it in his conscience forever.

If Gaara and his siblings hadn't showed up when they did…

That was the thing he hated the most about being a so-called genius.

He had a very good memory.

He never forgot.

**xxx**

Sakura had a small talk with Sasuke, mostly consisting of what he'd done that day, about Kakashi-sensei's visit and Kaori-chan. He didn't talk much but that was okay with Sakura, she was already used to it. Sometimes, just looking at him was enough to make her heart feel lighter. It was almost unhealthy, like a drug but she didn't really mind being addicted to him and the heartbreak that seemed to swallow him whole.

_It was all so easy before. Why does it have to be so hard now?_

Sasuke had said he was going to go take a shower and Sakura had sat in the chair beside his bed and watched him get up and get inside the private bathroom in his room. She'd sat there and listened to the sound of the shower being turned on and the pitter-patter of water falling on the tile.

Sakura stood up after a moment. She was hungry and wanted to eat dinner at that restaurant that served those glorious pork buns and tender Barbeques drizzling with sauce. With a smile, she headed down the corridor, looking forward to a heavy meal. Sure she constantly watched her weight, but it was good to pig out once in a while.

_Maybe I can ask Hinata! It would be good for me to go out with someone other than those two guys. I haven't really been socializing with anyone else much…we can talk about Naruto. And it would be nice to talk to a female my age about Sasuke-kun and not see her as competition for his attention…_

Sakura headed to the nurse's station to ask which room Hinata would most likely be in. their schedules were always kept in the records to avoid any misunderstanding of which floor and patient was assigned to which medic. It was a very organized system, one implemented after Tsunade-sama had become Hokage and Shizune-san had taken some of the responsibilities in heading the Konoha Medical Department.

Sakura took the stairs two at a time and was about to round the corner to the nurse's station when she caught a glimpse of Hinata being embraced by Ten-Ten and Ino pushing her forward from behind.

"B-But…I…"

"Come on, our treat! We haven't seen you for so long! Besides, Shikamaru just got paid for a mission so he's loaded right now!" Ino laughed. "That's what's good about being Chuunin neh Hinata? We can force our Jounin friends to treat us to dinners and movies!"

Ten-Ten made a face. "No fair! Is that the reason why you don't ever take the Jounin exam?"

"You bet!" Ino grinned.

"And here we thought it was because you liked being a teacher," Ten-Ten said dryly.

"Shikamaru-kun's outside too?" Hinata asked as she smiled and finally let herself be led out of the hospital.

"Oh sure. He's just got back a couple of days ago. You've been holed up in this hospital so long…"

She should go after them, maybe say hi. She knew those people, she had grown up with them…but Sakura couldn't make her feet move and she couldn't get the stubborn ache out of her chest.

Ino had once been her best friend.

_I…it was my choice wasn't it…I was the one who gave you back your ribbon. I was the one who chose Sasuke and ended our friendship…_

Ino looked happy now with her newfound friends.

Sakura was happy for Ino and for Hinata too.

She really was.

But…she felt lonely and so alone…

And she wished, for the first time since Naruto left, that the blonde was here by her side.

**xxx**

The restaurant was pleasantly crowded. The din of people enjoying their dinner and each other's company permeated the atmosphere, creating a relaxed ambiance. By the corner of the room sat Anko and Asuma, both clearly on a date. Ino pointed the two out to her friends' attention and would have marched over there to join them if Shikamaru had not grabbed the collar of her shirt and sighed. "You're such trouble Ino. Can't you see the last thing they'd want is to see you?"

Ino blustered. "What did you say? Plenty of people want to see me."

"But not right now, Anko-san and Asuma-san wouldn't…" Ten-Ten murmured as she nudged Ino with her elbow. "Look at what Anko-san's foot is doing underneath the table. Neh Hinata?"

Hinata blushed and looked down at the floor.

"Huh?" Ino made a face. "Oh EUW! I so did not need to _see_ that. My eyes! Thanks a lot!" she turned her back towards the couple and resolutely headed for the table they had reserved in advance muttering how she was sure she was going to have nightmares later on.

Ten-Ten chuckled and dragged Hinata after Ino, Shikamaru following them at a much leisurely pace.

When they were all seated and had finished ordering, Hinata expressed how nice it was for Ino, Ten-Ten and Shikamaru to go fetch her from the hospital for dinner.

Ten-Ten wagged a finger at Hinata. "Ino tells us you've been working hard. You should pace yourself Hinata, its not good to overdo anything."

"Lee-san does it and he's perfectly fine," Hinata couldn't help but point out with a smile.

"Ah, but then Lee isn't exactly normal, is he?" Ten-Ten rebutted with a smirk.

There was nothing Hinata could say to contest that. She cleared her throat, "Well the problem that we've been working on at the hospital is soon to be resolved so..."

"That's good. Shino and Kiba will be upset when they get back and find out you've been working yourself too hard," Ino smiled at Hinata and poked Shikamaru in the ribs. "Hey, are you falling asleep?"

"No," Shikamaru answered irritably, followed by a put-upon sigh. "And quite poking me Ino, you're leaving me bruises."

"Oh don't exaggerate!" Ino laughed and smiled at the waiter when he arrived with their drinks. The waiter blushed and scurried away.

"Gee Ino, lay it on a little bit less thick will you?" Ten-Ten commented with a shake of her head.

"Huh? What did I do?" Ino asked as she reached for her grape juice.

Shikamaru made a sound remarkably like a snort.

"Nothing," Ten-Ten sighed.

"Hinata, do you get what Ten-Ten is implying?"

Hinata smiled at her blonde friend. Ino was so pretty and she knew it too. What Ino didn't seem to see was that she had quite a dramatic effect on the male population in Konoha. Especially when she smiled. The poor waiter would probably hold a torch for Ino now. "You look really pretty tonight Ino-chan. I love your necklace, is it new?"

"Oh this? Yutaro gave it to me. Isn't he sweet? He's one of Shikamaru's genins."

"Its very pretty. It matches your eyes perfectly," Hinata complimented.

"Thanks!"

"My team doesn't ever give me anything. One of them, Gojyo, even asked me why my shadow looks like a mouse! It's the Chinese buns you know, familial pride and everything." Ten-Ten rolled her eyes and fingered the single bun at the base of her neck. "I finally just changed my hairstyle to make him shut up about it."

Ino grinned. "Gojyo huh? He was never my student but I've heard about him. He's supposed to be very strong in taijutsu but he's most famous for causing trouble. He's said to be quite a handful."

"You don't know the half of it," Ten-Ten groaned.

The others smiled because it was clear that beneath Ten-Ten's exasperation was a tone of fondness.

"He did you a favor though. You look so much better with that hairstyle." Ino said.

"That sounds like a backhanded compliment," Ten-Ten smirked, "but thanks anyway. Oi Hinata why are you so quiet? I guess you're still pretty tired huh?"

"It's okay. I have some free time coming up so I can rest."

"You've been pushing yourself especially hard lately. Don't think we haven't noticed Hinata. You should strive to be like Shikamaru-kun here, once in a while."

Shikamaru had crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head back, his eyes closed while he waited for their orders to arrive. He snorted but didn't bother doing anything else.

"Ten-chan's right," Ino interjected. "Oi and did I mention that Kaede asked for you today? He asked if you were alright."

Hinata smiled. She was fond of the young boy. "That's very nice of him!"

Ino grinned. "I told you he likes you. He was all quiet and sulky through class today. I suggested he visit you at the hospital tomorrow since he was so concerned."

Hinata blushed. "A-Anou…Ino-san! Kaede-kun is t-too young for me!"

"He's _younger _but not too young. You just wait a couple of years while he finishes growing up. I mean you're very fond of Neji right? He's always glaring at the guys who try to get close to you but with Kaede, I think Neji will approve. Kaede's kind of like Neji was when they were younger, right? Only with less hatred and no issues with the Main House."

Ten-Ten laughed. "You have a point there."

Hinata willed herself not to blush but failed. "A-Anou…I d-don't think there were any g-guys trying to get c-close to me…"

"Oh yes there are! Neji just glares them away before they can get enough courage to approach you! Neji looks so cute when you ask him what's wrong after he's stared another potential suitor down and he's trying to look like nothing's the matter." Ten-Ten grinned.

Ino looked thoughtful, "You don't notice these things do you? You don't even realize Kaede has a crush on you and it is _so _obvious!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Hinata wasn't the only oblivious one. Hinata wasn't the only one with a younger man/boy for an admirer either. Ino didn't even notice the reaction her smile had elicited from their waiter.

He let his female companions' voices fade as he mind wandered off to what Ino had been telling him while they had waited for Ten-Ten. The Hyuugas ordering vast quantities of white flowers, Neji's almost obsessive need to go out on missions, Hinata's seemingly never-ending shifts at the hospital.

It didn't click.

Those two were almost like a tandem. You can't really get one without having to deal with the other. It was almost like they were trying to get away from something.

Hinata and Neji were both like water, you never know what went on beneath the surface they showed the world.

Something was wrong there. Ino was right. That was why, despite the fact that he considered it really troublesome to have to eat out when there was perfectly edible food at home, he let Ino drag him out tonight.

**xxx**

Sakura sat in her bed with her back against the wall as she looked up at the night sky. Her heart felt heavy for some reason and she couldn't quite make herself stop thinking about the scene she'd witnessed earlier at the hospital.

She had just finished visiting with Sasuke and had headed out to look for Hinata and ask if the other girl would like to have dinner with her. They've both been apprentices to Tsunade-sama but had never really gotten the chance to really bond so Sakura thought it might be a good idea. She'd been about to approach the nurse's station to ask if Hinata was still at the hospital or had already left when she'd heard Ino's voice.

Ino and Ten-Ten were both at the hospital to fetch Hinata so they could all go out to dinner together. Ino had mentioned something about Shikamaru waiting outside as well and Sakura had been surprised hat they were all so close. It made her feel bad and Sakura hated herself for it.

For feeling jealous of Hinata and Ino and Ten-Ten's friendship.

A part of Sakura hurt because seeing Hinata with Ten-Ten and Ino made her realize that she didn't have any female friends of her own. She didn't have any friends really, other than Naruto and Sasuke and that had always been enough. She'd never felt lonely at all before…but that was always because of Naruto wasn't it? He was always the one to seek her out, the one to make her smile.

Sakura hugged her knees to her chest. She hadn't realized what an integral part of her existence Naruto had become and she had always wished him away, hadn't she? There were times when all three of them would be together and Sakura would wish that Naruto would just leave for a moment so she could be alone with Sasuke.

The memory made her feel ill.

She was so scared for Sasuke-kun. So scared of losing him. She wanted reassurance; someone to talk to but there was no one there for her. The choices that he'd made in her life all added up to this moment. She had never really made a move to befriend other people. The only one she'd ever really tried to get close to was Sasuke.

Now, Naruto was gone, Sasuke was in he hospital and she, Sakura, had no other friends she could rely on.

It was her own fault and there was no one else to blame but herself.

She'd driven Ino away and she'd ever really tried to befriend anyone else, so focused was she on Sasuke.

Scenes flashed before Sakura's eyes showing all the crossroads and choices that she had made in the past; how she had severed her ties from Ino and declared her a rival.

Trying to talk to Sasuke and picking on Naruto just so she'd have something to say, calling Naruto an annoying orphan with no family.

Sasuke had rebutted her then and said she was annoying.

Sakura understood now why Sasuke's eyes had flared with anger back then. Sasuke didn't have a family anymore either.

At the test when Kakashi-sensei had asked them to try and get the two bells from him. Sakura didn't even try to help Naruto when it was clear that he was in trouble. She'd by-passed him just so she could follow Sasuke. Kakashi-sensei had reprimanded her for it and Sakura could remember feeling only a twinge of shame and nothing more.

She could recall Naruto being tied up to the post, his stomach rumbling.

Kakashi-sensei had provided food for her and Sasuke and explicitly told them not to feed Naruto or they would all fail the test. Sasuke had been the first one to offer Naruto food even after Kakashi-sensei had told hem not to give Naruto anything.

Sakura had tried to dissuade Sasuke of that, she didn't want him to fail but Sasuke had brushed her off and chosen to help Naruto.

Sure Sakura had ended up feeding Naruto but she wouldn't have given him anything if not for Sasuke.

The memory made her feel sick to her stomach.

Was she always so bad?

Lee had declared his love for her and Sakura had only expressed her disgust. If he hadn't come to save her life, she would never have started being nice to him. If he hadn't been so skilled, she never would have respected him.

_I'm sorry Ino…_

_I'm so sorry Naruto_

_Lee…_

Sakura closed her eyes and cried.

**XXX**

**To Be Continued**

**XXX**

**A/N: **Hi guys! That wasn't Sakura bashing, was it? Anyway, really long chapter here and I hope you enjoyed it. Neji will be coming back home next chapter so lots of NejiHina moments in store. I hope you guys liked Ino, Ten-Ten and Shikamaru as well as the genins I've introduced. There was a small Kaede scene and he'll also show up a little later on in the story.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

**Lems – **Here you go, I updated, hope you enjoyed this chapter! This chapter went through a lot of revision so that's why it took so long for me to update, but it's a pretty lengthy chapter and I hope you consider it worth the wait! (grins) I know what you mean about those stories where the characters fall in love so quickly. I don't like that much either because it usually lacks depth so I am trying to make things as real and believable as possible. I'm glad you're appreciating my efforts, thanks so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**mI.Shoe – **Thanks. I'm glad you like the story. Did you enjoy this chapter too and the interaction between Hinata, Shikamaru, Ten-Ten and Ino? Anyway, please review!

**Audriel – **Glad you liked my fic recommendations! Yup, The Hyuugas so have to change. As for Sasuke's hit-list, I thought it would be funny. Shikamaru will play a relatively big role in the story, as well as Hinata's other friends. Ooh, I love Reasons for a Kiss too, its such a cool story! Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please tell me what you think!

**Shanice Miharu – **Yup, I like it when Hanabi cares for Hinata. I don't think Hanabi is a bitch at all, just caught in the same trap Neji and Hinata are. As for Sakura, don't worry I won't put her in with Sasuke! NEVER! I hate that girl! When they were choosing teams, I was praying that Hinata be chosen as the member of Sasuke and Naruto's team but alas, it was Sakura. Hinata is so much better. I so agree with you!

**BadSam – **Thanks. I'm glad you like my story and think its different from others! I appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed this next chapter too.

**Kimochi – **I hope the little Shikamaru scene last chapter made sense now! Nope, No SasuHina yet but soon! I hope you are not getting bored with the story and that you enjoyed this chapter! Please tell me what you think!

**Kanamey – **Thanks! Its always great to hear from you. I'm glad you like my story and last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

**Kenshinlover2002 – **A little bit, I mean the guy is desperate. But of course once he sees Hinata, all the Sakura plans are going to be thrown out the window. Hehehe.

**OspreyAnimeG – **Thanks, I'm glad you like my chapters. As for NejiHina moments. Don't worry, next chapter is going to be chock full of them!

**Jan-I-am – **I'm glad you like the Kakashi/Kurenai Show! I love writing their relationship because its super fun and I think they would be really good together. I refuse to see Kurenai with Asuma! I don't like Sakura so nope, she isn't going to end up with Sasuke, I refuse. I am trying to make her character at least likable since in most fics, she's portrayed as this annoying antagonist bent on keeping Sasuke to herself. She is a bit like that but there's a good side to her too I think. More NejiHina moments next chapter. He's going to go home. Sorry for the slow progression of plot but there's so many characters and changes that need to be made first. Hopefully after next chapter, the plot pacing will increase.

**ShirakuTo – **Kaede appeared in this chapter! Hehehe! Glad you like the Sasuke hungry moment, it makes him seem more human neh? As for Sakura and Hinata as friends, of course they will be. Next chapter, you will find out how.

**Khmer Shinobi – **Well I'm not going to make this SasuSaku, I don't like that pairing either. I despise it actually since I don't see it happening at all. (Kind of weird since a lot of people have commented that my SasuSaku moments are really nice) I just don't want Sakura with Sasuke though. Kaede-kun made more of an appearance here and he will show up later on in the story as well.

**Ah-choo – **Thanks a lot for the compliment! Oh, you can cook? I'm so jealous. I can't even boil an egg. I've rarely ventured into our kitchen and the only thing I know how to operate is the microwave. (grins) I'm glad you like my story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

**Censes – **Thanks! I'm glad you like Hinata and Sasuke's characters! I don't really like Sakura myself but I don't like writing characters in a bashing because then the whole story won't be very believable. I'm glad you think my portrayal of Sakura is very realistic. I did try to make her as in character as possible, if a little bit grown up. She will definitely feel jealous. I know, I don't understand why she has to be the main character when Hinata is so much cooler than her. Sakura really annoys me so yeah, I don't really like her at all.

**Aka Yuki-hime – **Thanks, I'm glad you like my story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Shedevilz – **Oh wow, I love the fic **No Turning Back **and I'm glad the author recommended my story. I actually recommended her story too. Weird huh? (grins) I'm glad you enjoyed reading my story! I'm glad you think Sasuke is in character and I'm glad I'm making you enjoy NejiHina. (smiles) I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Night-Owl123 – **Here you go, I updated! Now its your turn, go and review! (grins) Jk! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

**Hokai Amplifier – **I know. I prefer Hinata so much more than Sakura. A lot of the anime heroines are usually annoyingly genki or idiotic and Hinata isn't like that which I like a lot. Sakura I think is very shallow, she only likes Sasuke because he's cool and good looking. I mean, she doesn't even really know him does she? Ugh! Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and the little Sakura torture. (grins)

**Frosted Shadowz – **Here you are, the next chapter with Kaori and mentions of Kaede and implied NejiHina moments, plus the SasuHina moments too. Hope you enjoyed it. I hope you liked this chapter and didn't think I was Sakura bashing too much!

**Arrha – **Hi! I'm glad you also like my RK fics! What's your favorite? Anyway, yeah I'm in a Naruto kick right now but I do try to update all my fics. As for Sakura, geeze she's so annoying. Naruto is likable once you get past the rough surface and she's so shallow she doesn't see that. Ugh! I wish Hinata were the one on team 7 and one of the more major characters.

**GenialHinata – **Thanks, I'm glad you like my story! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

**Ganymede – **I know, the Hyuugas are cool! Yup, I think Hanabi is nice and cool and she's as much a victim of her circumstance as Neji and Hinata are. I'm glad you are enjoying this fic and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Muchachangistariray – **Hi! Thanks! I'm glad you like my stories, even the RK ones. This chapter has Shikamaru/Ino moments too as well as Kaori Kawaii moments and Kurenai/Kakashi. Hope you liked it. I'm glad my favorite Authors and Stories list are helping you out! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**NanamiYatsumaki – **You're so lucky, I haven't really been up to date with the Naruto anime. I'm still in the second part of the first Chuunin exams. Most of my knowledge comes from other fanfics and sites. Oh well, this fic doesn't really follow the Naruto time line so it shouldn't matter. (smiles) I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter and I hope this one wasn't disappointing!

**A.L.S – **Thank you! I'm really happy that you follow my story and is kind enough to leave reviews and encouragements. I hope you enjoyed this installment!

**Ayumi-dono – **Hinata rocks! I love her too! I don't understand why she isn't more of a major character in the anime. She's way cooler than Sakura is! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Endless – **I love Shikamaru. He's cool! Lots of Shikamaru in this chapter and a small Kaede moment! More Neji next chapter! Promise! He's coming home from the mission soon. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter!

**HieiJaganshisflame** – Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy my story! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

**Lady of Genesis – **Don't worry, romance will come soon underway. Oh yeah, I read Ironically Dramatic, it's a way cool fic and I love it. I'm rooting for Itachi/Hinata simply because I adore that pairing and there's not much of 'em out there. Plus, Itachi's really hot. As for the AU NejiHinaSasu fic you're planning to write, please do! I am so going to read it. I love everything NejiHina and SasuHina!

**Random Person – **Thanks so much! I always look forward to reading your reviews because they are so well thought out and they point out aspects of the story that I should be working on or bring more thought to. I really appreciate it! It's kind of ironic because I don't like Sakura at all, but I can't seem to write her in a bashing style because then it's too childish and the whole unrequited love thing loses angst. I'm glad you think I portray Sakura and her love for Sasuke well. About Hinata being the Hokage's apprentice, most of the Hyuugas know but some of them don't. Hanabi doesn't know simply because no one's told her and she and Hinata had never really been allowed by the family to bond or talk to each other. Hiashi will have a scene of his own, his views on his daughter, Neji and the Clan, but right now I'm still concentrating on Hinata and Neji and Sasuke. Thanks so much for the review and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Toorikosu – **Kakashi/Kurenai scenes here, hope you enjoyed them! Oh yeah, Sasuke was really made when he found out about the seal. The resolution for that will be next chapter so don't worry. I'm glad you're liking my story and I hope you enjoyed this installment!

**Makotojs – **There will be lots of conflict in this fic. I've decided not only to make it about Romance and Angst but also about Hinata and the others growing up and finding themselves and truths about life. It's going to be a bit long but don't worry, there will be lots of action, angst and fluff as well as some comedy along the way. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**xxx**

**Please Review! **

**xxx**


	7. Realizations

**The Logical Conclusion**

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who have consistently supported me and urged me on. I know it's been a while since my last update and hopefully, this chapter was worth waiting for. I LOVE reading LONG reviews and hearing about what you guys like about my story and what I should try to improve and stuff. Thanks so much again for the support! I'm not really very sure about this chapter, but hopefully you guys will like it. Please let me know!

**Chapter Seven: **

A small sound prompted Sasuke to awaken, disoriented. He didn't stir and the rhythm of his breathing didn't change to alert the possible intruder to the fact that he was now conscious. It took him only a portion of a second to realize he was lying in a hospital bed. It took him about a second or two to remember why. He cringed, his breath hitching in remembered agony just as the door to his room swung fully open.

"Oi, so you're awake…"

Sasuke opened his eyes and glared at Kakashi, willing some of his bad mood on his former sensei.

Kakashi seemed unperturbed by Sasuke's death glare. He flicked an imaginary piece of lint from his shoulder and grinned at Sasuke from behind his mask. "So…how are you feeling?"

"Like crap," Sasuke snarled as he tried to sit up, only to realize that he was immobile. _Oh shit!_

Kakashi correctly interpreted the wide-eyed look of horror on Sasuke's face. "Some of the chakra points along your spine has been closed off. Paralysis is an expected effect."

"_Paralysis_!" That didn't ease the knot in Sasuke's gut one bit.

The door opened to admit Hinata inside.

"Yo!" Kakashi greeted. "How's it going Hinata-hime-chan?" (Princess Hinata-chan)

Sasuke was too shocked by his paralysis to do much of anything except scream inside his own mind.

Hinata returned Kakashi's greeting with a smile, already used to Kakashi's sometimes playful, greetings. She glanced strangely at Sasuke who was looking quite catatonic at the moment before she moved inside, carrying a tray laden with food. "Sakura-san was sent on an errand by Hokage-sama and is sorry she couldn't come…but she thought you might like this Uchiha-san. It's from the restaurant that you favor."

Silence.

"U-Uchiha-san? Daijoubu des ka?"

Somehow, the timid inquiry served as the catalyst to ignite Sasuke's ire and fireworks exploded behind his eyeballs. "I'm a fucking paralytic!" he snarled so suddenly that Hinata took a step back from him in surprise. "My chakra points have been closed off. What the hell for? Now I can't freaking move!" _He couldn't move…_

"A-ah…" Hinata twitched and concentrated her attention on the tray of food she was holding.

Kakashi glanced at Sasuke, his eyes narrowed for a moment before they returned to their half-lidded look. "Here Hinata, let me get that for you," he said as he took the tray from Hinata's hands and put them on the bedside table. "Wasn't Hinata nice to bring you your food Sasuke? It's not her job after all." Kakashi said pointedly.

"H-How are you feeling?" Hinata asked, looking guilty as she stared at the floor and twitched a bit. "Tsunade-sensei was wondering when you'd come to…"

Sasuke barely even spared Hinata a glance; too busy mentally hissing at Tsunade. Where was the old hag anyway? She was the one who'd come up with the idea to alter Orochimaru's seal somewhat and make it more manageable, but obviously something had gone awry because he was now confined to a bed, paralyzed from the neck down. The least she could do was make an appearance and explain what she'd done to him to make him pass out from the pain and then wake up a paralytic.

Oh Kami, how was he supposed to get his revenge now?

Not to mention those kids he was yet to produce for the Uchiha line to live on…

The last thing Sasuke remembered was meeting with the Hokage about a procedure she would perform on his seal…something about him and Hinata having the same basic DNA strands so it wouldn't be necessary for any conduit to bind her chakra to his. He hadn't really understood the technicalities but the gist of it was that Hinata would serve as a medium and would channel the chakra into Sasuke, converting it at the same time making it easier for the chakra to bond with his in a molecular level and making heightening the success rate of the resealing.

He'd sat in the middle of a formation, eight medics seated on the eight strategic places around him. Their chakra would be channeled to Hinata and then from her, it would be transferred to him…Hinata was once again behind him, her palm warm on the bare skin of his back…and then white-hot pain slicing agonizingly through his system before everything had faded into blessed darkness.

Chakra points?

Closed off?

Sasuke's eyes widened in sudden understanding, he glanced at Hinata realizing exactly _why _she looked so guilty, like she'd done something wrong. "You're the one who closed off my tenketsu!" he uttered in almost comical disbelief.

Hinata twitched again before replying very softly. "G-Gomen nasai…it's o-only…"

"**What** _the_ _fuck_ **for**?"

Whether Hinata flinched from his tone or the expletive he'd used, Sasuke wasn't quite sure. He watched as she backed away, bowing, a blush staining her cheeks crimson. "I-I'll call Tsunade-sama…she'll be able t-to explain better and s-she wanted t-to see y-you w-when you w-woke up…"

Kakashi glanced at Sasuke when the door shut behind the Hyuuga. "That was quite uncalled for…and she was nice enough to bring you lunch too."

"She closed off my chakra points while I was unconscious! Now I can't even move my arms _or _legs. What was I supposed to do? Thank her for her generosity?" he snarled.

Kakashi sighed. He was aware that Sasuke was feeling very vulnerable right now and was just blindly lashing out, but Kurenai would most likely rip Sasuke a new one if she found out about his treatment of Hinata just now. His wife was very protective of the shy Hyuuga and the feeling had rubbed off on Kakashi. At least Sakura knew how to stand up for herself, Hinata seemed to just take whatever abuse came her way as if she deserved the treatment. Kurenai's rants against the Hyuuga patriarch came back to Kakashi. How could a father do that to his child? He couldn't imagine treating his daughter that way. "You know Sasuke, Hinata's been working hard researching and trying to find ways to help you deal with that seal of yours. Do you really think _Hinata _would shut off your tenketsu without a purpose? Remember, you don't know what happened. You were unconscious after all…"

Sasuke frowned and kept quite, his face turned away.

XXX

Kakashi was no longer there when Tsunade showed up in Sasuke's room, radiating intense annoyance. The first thing she did when she saw the Uchiha survivor was hit him upside the head with her open palm.

"Ow!"

Tsunade allowed herself a smirk at his exclamation of pain. "What did you say to Hinata?"

"What did she say I said?" Sasuke countered.

"Nothing, but she looked upset and the last person she saw was you."

Sasuke ignored the twinge of guilt he felt and stubbornly kept his mouth shut.

Tsunade hit him again.

"Ow!" Sasuke glared at her and tried to raise his right arm to rub the back of his head but failed to make his arm move. His glare intensified at the reminder of paralysis. "I'm paralyzed…"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and cut Sasuke off before he could say anything else. "Your paralysis is only temporary. What, you think Hinata would shut your chakra off permanently? Give her some credit. She's my apprentice after all."

Sasuke shut his mouth and scowled at the Hokage who, for all intents and purposes, looked like she was mentally giving herself a pat on the back for a job well done.

Tsunade regarded him levelly and Sasuke grew conscious of the fact that this woman standing before him was one of the Legendary Sanin and the Hokage of Konoha. Power and Authority radiated from her and he found himself affected by her aura. "For someone who graduated top of his class, you sure make quite a few mistakes don't you, Uchiha?"

Sasuke stayed silent. What could he say to that?

"Remember the black thing we told you about? The one that surrounded your spine almost entirely?"

A curt nod was the only answer she got from Sasuke.

Tsunade muttered something about annoying males. "Well, in the process of the sealing, your cursed seal activated. That was the cause of the pain you felt. The black thing around your spine was reacting to the stronger sealing. It was fighting off my seal. It's at that point that you lost consciousness. Hinata had to block off the chakra points surrounding your spine to prevent chakra from traveling to the black mass because it was exerting too much pressure on your bones. It might have shattered your spine or caused you permanent damage."

"…"

"Nothing to say?"

Sasuke ignored the gnawing guilt he felt and inquired about the curse seal.

"The procedure was a success. I was able to re-seal Orochimaru's cursed seal. It's still there mind you, but its dormant and as long as you don't allow your chakra reserves to reach a critical low, it won't activate and the black mark will fade in time."

"I see. I'd like to leave the hospital now."

"Your paralyzed Uchiha," Tsunade pointed out with a frown.

"As you've said, it's only temporary. There's no reason for me to still remain here."

Tsunade took great pleasure in giving the scowling teen a beatific smile. "Sure there is. You're under observation until I say so."

And that, Sasuke realized, was that.

XXX

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura greeted in surprise when she met her former sensei on her way to Sasuke's room to visit him. Things were looking up and Sasuke's paralysis had faded soon after the first day of the resealing. Tsunade-sama's seal was holding and examination results all read positively. As long as Sasuke was careful with his chakra levels, the curse seal would no longer resurface and cause him harm. Hinata had assured her that the black mass around Sasuke's spine had been successfully sealed off as well and no longer interrupted Sasuke's chakra highway. Sakura was hopeful that sooner or later, they would find a way to abolish the seal completely from Sasuke's system.

The Jounin raised a hand in greeting. "Yo."

"You're here to visit Sasuke-kun?"

"Uh-huh…and get my daughter back too."

Sakura smiled quizzically at the Copy-Nin before she opened the door to Sasuke's room. What she saw made her insides melt into a puddle of goop as she switched to fan girl mode. Sasuke was sitting up in bed, is legs crossed beneath him, a sleeping Kaori in his arms.

"Was she a handful today?" Kakashi asked as he stepped around a blushing Sakura.

"No more than usual," Sasuke muttered.

Kaori awoke when she was transferred from Sasuke to her father's rms. Sleepy cinnamon eyes regarded Kakashi with complete trust before they closed sleepily again. Kaori yawned and turned her face to the crook of her father's neck, one tiny hand reaching for Kakashi's hair. Kakashi patted his daughter's back comfortingly as he rocked her gently back to sleep. "Her clothes are dirty."

"She played in the gardens."

Kakashi smiled. "By the way Sasuke, I never did get around to asking…how was the book I lent you?"

Sasuke's face flamed at the reminder of the Hentai book Kakashi had lent him and he shot Sakura a horrified glance before glaring murder at Kakashi.

"Book?" Sakura repeated quizzically.

The older man smiled at Sakura's puzzled look. "It's an ingenious dissertation of the human anatomy as well as some aspects of biology and sociology. Quite graphic actually and very detailed." Kakashi provided.

"Oh."

Sasuke kept his face turned away from both of his visitors. He was sure that his face was probably as red as Sakura's tunic. Anatomy? Sociology? Biology? Yeah right. Graphic and detailed was true, but ingenious dissertation? Of perversion, maybe…

"She likes doing that a lot, neh sensei?" Sakura commented, her eyes drawn to Kaori's tiny fingers playing with Kakashi's hair even while she was asleep.

"Aa."

"She plays with your hair too, neh Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said smiling as she turned to her long-time crush.

"I suppose."

"You'll make a very good father someday, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said warmly, a pink blush tingeing her cheeks. She found she couldn't quite look at Sasuke and instead concentrated on looking at her sandals, waiting for the pounding of her heart to stop.

Sasuke, for his part, did not know quite what to say either and he kept his face averted, his own cheeks coloring from embarrassment.

Kakashi smiled in amusement. "You're right Sakura, Sasuke will make a good father someday. Especially now that he knows how to go about it…thanks to that wonderful book…eh Sasuke…"

Sasuke ignored him, knowing it was pointless to say anything. Kakashi was an idiot and would twist whatever Sasuke's said into some perverse innuendo or brush it aside casually. He chose to address Sakura, the saner of the two, instead. "How much longer do I have to stay here?" He laid a hand on his shoulder. Everyday, he could feel his condition improve. The Hokage had allowed him more and more leeway to practice, as long as it was in a controlled environment and he didn't overexert himself. Everyday, Hinata would come to check on the seal and see if it was stable. It always was, thank goodness.

"Not long," Sakura assured. "Your condition has readily improved and Hinata-chan and Shizune-san are preparing the readings of your seal. You should be discharged in a day or two at most…that's actually one of the things I wanted to tell you about."

Sasuke felt relief wash through him. Finally he could leave this place and go back to his house. Gloomy and desolate as it was, it was still _his_. It was his home.

XXX

A few days later, Sasuke stood in an empty training field taking deep breaths as he finished warming up. He concentrated on the first circle of his katas, his movements slow and careful as he matched them with his breathing. Each flick of his wrist, each tense and relaxation of muscle increased in speed with every movement until he faded from sight, almost like a whirlwind of motion in the middle of the still, green field. When finally, it ended, leaves were blown all around and floated down lazily to rain down on him. One green leaf landed on his nose and Sasuke's eyes crossed as he looked at it before he plucked it away and let it fall.

"Any adverse reaction to the exertion?"

"No. Nothing seal related." Sasuke answered.

Tsunade nodded. "Begin with some basic genjutsu then. Commence when you're ready."

Sasuke performed the hand seals and started with one of the easiest genjutsu he knew. It took only a minimum amount of chakra to accomplish. From the sidelines, he spotted the others dispel his genjutsu with a gesture. There was still not a single twitch from the cursed seal. He progressed to more complicated genjutsu and there was still no reaction from the cursed seal. Finally, Tsunade said he could move on to ninjutsu, something Sasuke did with great relish because he had missed unleashing some of his more powerful attacks.

Sakura commented how strong he'd become. There were some techniques he was using that she hadn't seen before. She tried to keep her fan girl squeal to a bare minimum with a modicum of success. Tsunade herself was even impressed by Sasuke. He was still so young and already his knowledge was quite extensive and he still had the capacity to grow. She was well aware that the techniques he was using now were not the most powerful ones in his arsenal. For all Orochimaru's vileness, he had managed to train the Uchiha boy fairly well. Tsunade's mind just shied away from contemplating the methods her former teammate might have used.

After a particularly large blast and a huge crater on the earth later, Tsunade called a halt to Sasuke's little exhibition. "You may rest now Uchiha," she said, smiling smugly. Her modified 'evil sealing technique' seemed to have managed to get the job done. Sasuke's cursed seal was still there, there was no way to remove it completely _yet_, but Tsunade's seal had managed to contain it and as long as Sasuke still had sufficient chakra on his body to function, the seal would not activate. "Hinata, go check on the seal."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Hinata said before she stood up and made her way towards Sasuke.

"Yes Sakura, you can go check to see if Uchiha has superficial wounds," Tsunade said as she sensed her other apprentice fidgeting at her side.

"Arigato, Tsunade-sama!" Sakura chirped as she hurried to join Hinata.

Shizune laughed a little at Tsunade's sigh.

"For a very smart girl, Sakura seems the opposite when it comes to Uchiha."

"She's liked him since she was young, I guess it's understandable. Most of the females in the village are half in love with him."

"I suppose…" Tsunade said as she watched Hinata step back from Sasuke after checking the seal. "But not all."

**XXX**

Sakura was very happy that Sasuke had been pronounced well enough to leave the hospital. She could sense how anxious he was to get back to his home, though she didn't really understand why. The Uchiha compound was dismal and depressing and the thought of him living there alone always made her feel sad. She'd move in there with him, to keep him company, if only he'd allow her but she knew he wouldn't. Despite being closer to him now that she had been in the past, she knew Sasuke still held her at arms length. It seemed he would never really allow anyone to be close to him.

Not really.

She took the day off and helped him move back into the house he occupied and even helped him clean it. Some dust had accumulated since his absence and Sakura was surprised when Sasuke actually let her stay to help him. She smiled at him a little as she tied a kerchief over her head to protect her hair.

Midway through the cleaning, Sakura thought about how much faster they could finish if only Naruto was there. She thought about Ino and the other genins in their class in the past and pictured them all gathered here, cleaning and teasing each other and laughing.

_What am I doing! I'm alone with Sasuke-kun and all I can think about is other people being here with us!_

Sakura berated herself and tried to think of something to say to Sasuke so there wouldn't be only silence between them. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, it was actually a companionable silence, but Sakura wanted to talk to him. She so rarely got a chance to be alone with him, just the two of them, and she was intent on using that precious time to try and understand him more. Unfortunately, Sasuke's monosyllabic answers and the occasional sentence or two deterred every attempt she made at a conversation. It was clear his mind was preoccupied so she gave up with a sigh and concentrated on their task.

When they finished, Sakura gathered up the used rags and cleaning materials and went to put them away. She washed her hands and tidied up a bit before returning to the living room where she'd left Sasuke. He was standing in the middle of the room, looking out the window. The sky was already the deep purple of twilight. She hadn't realized so much time had already passed. She hadn't even eaten lunch yet and she was sure that neither had Sasuke.

"Sakura…"

"Hai, Sasuke-kun?" she turned towards Sasuke and saw that he had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Do you want to go out to eat? It'll be my treat."

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Hai."

XXX

The Council sought Hiashi out, to discuss the actions of his eldest daughter and his nephew. The two had been rarely seen around the compound and the Council expressed their disapproval of the current situation. The preparations for the announcement were underway and it would be better if the two main players were to stay at home, especially Neji who was key in taking the family into the future they were all looking forward to.

Hiashi listened and dismissed all their claims. "Hinata is attending to her duties at the hospital and Neji has responsibilities as an ANBU captain and a Shinobi of this village. Their actions bring no dishonor to the family but honor us instead. There is no need to curtail any of their activities."

Neji, one of the youngest ANBU captains, Hinata one of the two chosen apprentice of the Hokage, Hanabi, a child protégée with the promise to be one of the greatest kunoichi in Hyuuga history. It should have been enough…it should have been, but it wasn't.

Of course, the collective Council was not happy with this pronouncement, but Hiashi was head and there was nothing they could do about it.

Hiashi took a sip of his tea and regarded the Elders of his family. His daughter's heart would break and his family's future would be secured. There were no individuals in the clan and as it's head, it was his duty to make decisions for the good of the family.

No matter how difficult it might be.

XXX

Neji sighed as he walked out of the Hokage's office after his mission debriefing, bowing in greeting when he passed by Shizune who was on her way in. Shizune smiled and returned the greeting. Shizune had been one of the primary people who had taken care of him on his stint in the hospital after the whole Sasuke Retrieval debacle, back when he was still a genin. He knew Shizune-san was the Hokage's first apprentice and was now considered Tsunade-sama's right hand.

Neji had been surprised to find out that Shizune had taken in Hinata as a student and had been even more surprised when Hinata ended up being the Hokage's apprentice as well. He'd been proud of his little cousin and he'd been grateful to Shizune for giving Hinata a chance and not dismissing her as someone below notice.

Neji exited the Hokage's building before heading back to the hospital.

Later, he would have to do some proper paperwork and submit it to the Hokage to be filed. He felt dirty after days of surveillance and not having the luxury of time to take a bath. He desperately wanted one, but first he needed to visit Lee to check on him. They mostly paired together on ANBU missions and their teamwork, after years of working together, was impeccable.

The document they had been sent to retrieve had been surprisingly well guarded not only by several higher-ranking Shinobis from Hidden Grass that the daimyo had hired but also by several well-trained samurais. It had been rather bloody and Neji had incurred several gashes and bruises and his ANBU uniform bore the taints of blood from himself and his enemies as well as several burns due to a fire jutsu he had barely been able to avoid.

He'd been going out on missions, one after the other and he knew he needed to stop for a while and allow Lee to heal and allow himself some rest as well. It was just that he hated to be idle. He hated it when he had time to think and contemplate his future and always, always his thoughts would go back to Hinata and how much he hated being a Hyuuga.

He'd tried to talk to his Uncle; he'd tried to reason with him. Hanabi could be heir, but did he really have to marry her? He could just marry Hinata, she was still a member of the Main House, his and Hinata's children would belong to the Main House…but Hiashi had turned his pleas away.

"_We all have our destinies to fulfill. Hinata has hers and you have yours. Fate is inescapable Neji; it is irrevocable. It's time you accept your destiny as the Hyuuga genius just as Hinata had accepted her destiny to be weak." _

When Neji had heard those words come from Hiashi's lips, only then did he fully grasp the reason why his father gave up his life for the chance to make a choice all his own. He'd always felt a little angry with his father for choosing to die, for selfishly offering up his life, just for the chance to make his own decision for himself.

Neji understood now.

He understood the claustrophobia.

The feeling of being trapped and wanting desperately to break free and to breathe even _just once _for himself and not for anyone else. Neji wanted to make his own decisions and frankly, he would willingly give up his life for the chance.

He wanted Hinata.

Hinata.

_The soft sound of the front door being pulled open, soft footsteps tapping on the floorboards and the swish of clothing as the man paused at the entryway of the house to trade his outside shoes for house slippers. "Tadaima," the man would say._

"_Okaeri-nasai anata!" the woman would hurriedly reply as she appeared by the entrance to welcome him home._

_Neji would watch his parents interact. He would watch his father's eyes crinkle in a soft smile as he bent down and placed a soft kiss on his wife's cheek. Neji would watch his mother smile and blush and take his father's hand and lead him inside the house towards the kitchen for something to eat. _

"_Neji dear, stop spying and come eat with us," his mother would say._

"_I wasn't spying Okaasan, I just have naturally good eyesight."_

"_Of course," his mother would say dryly while his father would laugh._

That was the kind of family life he longed for. He'd had it once, very briefly but then his happiness had been curtailed by the destiny imposed upon the Hyuuga Branch House. He wanted a future free of that: a future where he could decide on his own, a future wherein his children could live for themselves and not for anyone else. He could so easily picture himself having the same kind of bond, of caring and tenderness with Hinata and he knew that it was the kind of home life she wished for as well. They had talked about how to change the Hyuuga from the inside, one person at a time if need be. Everything had been so right, but destiny had stepped in and once again proven to him that he might struggle against fate he might win a few battles here and there, but ultimately he would have to bow to the will of the Universe.

He was a caged bird and it seemed he would never, ever be free.

**XXX**

Tsunade yawned and handed Shizune the papers necessary to proceed with the mission after she had signed them. "I trust you can handle the rest by yourself?"

Shizune scanned the document. "So you are sending Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan for the escort mission?"

"Sure. Nobu wanted capable medics and Sakura and Hinata haven't had a mission in a while since they've started working at the hospital. It should be good for them to hone their skills. A medic should not only be good at healing, a medic should also be good in coping with unknown situations." Tsunade sighed. "That Nobu guy is too nervous and I'm sure he's not saying everything there is to know about this mission."

"Would it be wise to send both your apprentices on such an uncertain task?"

"That's exactly why I'm sending them. They're two of the top medics we have. They're my students; they should be capable enough to handle whatever goes wrong. Besides they have Shikamaru with them. He's a Jounin and he might complain about everything being troublesome but he's got a good head on his shoulders. He should be able to figure out whatever it is that the client isn't telling us about."

Shizune glanced down at the document in her hands. "And what about Uchiha Sasuke, why are you sending him?"

"Like you said, it's an uncertain situation and Sasuke is a strong Shinobi. We might as well get some use out of him. He's been recovered for a while now and besides, he's worked in a team with Sakura before and he's attended the same Academy class as Hinata and Nara so they more or less know each other. It would be easier for them to work together," Tsunade said with a sigh. "If Naruto was here, I would have sent him instead of Uchiha."

"Aren't you afraid he might use the opportunity to run off again?"

Tsunade shrugged. "Being inside Konoha's walls hasn't stopped him from running off when he was twelve, it won't stop him now that he's older and stronger than he was before."

"I guess so," Shizune said with a shrug as she turned to leave.

"Shizune…"

"Hai Hokage-sama?"

"After I talk to those four, tell Kakashi I want to see him and get Ino-san in here too."

**XXX**

When Hinata heard about Lee-kun being admitted due to some severe burns and lacerations, she hurried towards the Emergency Room where he was being held and treated. She stopped by the door when she saw Sakura administering to Lee's wounds.

"We'll have you fixed up in no time," Sakura said in a gentle voice as she smiled down at Lee. "You should take better care of yourself Lee."

Lee blushed at having the full attention of his one-time crush focused on him. "It couldn't be helped. You should see the other guys."

Sakura laughed.

Hinata watched them for a moment before she backed off. Lee was doing okay on his own and the two didn't need her interrupting their conversation. She smiled to herself as she turned to leave. She would visit Lee later to check up on him and ask him how Neji was doing.

Hinata turned the corner and let out a small 'Eep!' when she ran into solid matter, squishing her nose against what turned out to be an ANBU vest that reeked of blood and smoke. Hinata backed away quickly, blushing as she raised a hand to rub her nose. "Gomen nasai!" she said bowing. She straightened but couldn't quite get the nerve to look the ANBU in the eye. She berated herself for not sensing someone come so close to her. If she'd been in a battlefield, she would have been dead by now.

"Daijoubu desu ka, Hinata-sama?"

Hinata blinked and looked up. "Neji-niisan!"

Neji frowned a little as he touched a fingertip to the tip Hinata's nose, which had turned slightly pink. "You should be more careful next time, Hinata-sama," he admonished. "Is Lee in there?" he cocked his head towards the Emergency Room.

"H-Hai. He's doing fine. Sakura-san is tending to him…"

Neji raised an eyebrow. "That should make him happy."

Hinata studied Neji and took in the sight of him. He looked tired and there were cuts and bruises all over him, not to mention that his ANBU uniform was covered in dried up old blood and burn marks. There was a particularly nasty laceration in his arm near his ANBU tattoo and Hinata reached out tug his arm towards her in concern. She studied it and frowned, noticing that it had started to become infected. "You didn't even take the time to clean your wounds on your way back. That's what I gave you the medical creams for."

"I had to use them to treat Lee's burns and I didn't have time to clean my wounds because Lee was in need medical attention as soon as possible."

Hinata frowned, slightly mollified. "We should clean that up. Come on and I'll…"

"This wound won't kill me and besides, I would prefer to take a bath first, Hinata-sama," Neji said as he tugged his hand free of Hinata's hold. "I just stopped by to check in on Lee's condition."

"Alright…but I'll drop by later to see how your wounds are doing." Hinata conceded. "I'll bring some new herbal medicines too. They should be more effective than the last one…"

Neji sighed inwardly, reading the worry plainly in Hinata's eyes even though she tried to hide it. He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm fine, Hinata-sama. Really. There's no need for you to worry."

"I'm sorry…I j-just…I c-can't help it…" Hinata whispered as she twisted the hem of her jacket in her hands. He'd been driving himself so hard, accepting mission after mission and barely giving himself enough time to rest before taking in a new assignment. She knew it was because, like her, he was trying to cope with their situation the only way he knew how.

He didn't.

"I'm so s-sorry niisan," she whispered to him. It was all her fault. If only she'd been strong enough, this wouldn't have come to pass. If only she wasn't such a weakling. "I'm so s-sorry…"

"What are you sorry for?" Neji said as he stared down at Hinata. He knew she was blaming herself for some imagined slight she'd caused. She always blamed herself and no matter how much he tried to break her of the habit, it was so ingrained in her personality that she automatically reverted to it every time she felt she was somehow at fault.

"I-If I was s-stronger…t-this wouldn't have happened. We…we'd still be…" Hinata bit her lip and looked away, hugging herself. They were in the middle of a hospital hallway and someone might turn the corner at any moment and see them. This was not the time to discuss this. Not when she'd been trying to avoid talking about their situation. Not when she'd tried so hard to get on with her life and just ignore the fact that her engagement to Neji was off and that he was now supposed to marry her little sister.

Neji closed her eyes feeling a headache coming on. He hated it when Hinata was upset. He hated it when she cried. Sooner or later, he'd figured it would come to this. He and Hinata had been dancing circles around each other and this new arrangement and he knew that they would need to discuss it one of these days. It wasn't easy to live two years of your life expecting to marry someone and then just wake up one morning and find out that the engagement was off.

"I'm sorry…" Hinata whispered. "You've been going on missions and…and now you're hurt and Lee's hurt and…I'm sorry…"

"You said so yourself that Lee's fine. He would need a few days to recuperate and I promise I won't go out on a mission after this. Not for a while. Does that help?"

She nodded and looked up at him with a teary smile.

"It's not your fault Hinata-sama. We all have a destiny we must fulfill." Neji said before he turned to leave.

Hinata watched him go and raised a hand to touch the crystal pendant she wore underneath her jacket. "Neji…"

How was she ever going to let him go?

**XXX**

**A/N: **I know some of you are clamoring for more SasuHina interaction, and don't worry guys, it's coming up soon; more of Neji as well in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and please don't forget to review! Thanks!


	8. To Prepare

The Logical Conclusion

**The**** Logical Conclusion**

Standard Disclaimers Apply

* * *

**A/N: **It's been a rather long time since I updated this story. I had everything planned out, a long chapter waiting to be uploaded and then, my computer crashed.

It affected me so much, all those lost files, that I hadn't been able to really get back to writing my old stories for a while there. However, I do still love the pairing SasuHina and NejiHina and all your wonderful and encouraging reviews made me tackle this project on again. Hopefully, it's something that you will still enjoy reading.

Also **I need help. If you are willing to be a beta-reader **for me then please drop me a line. I need someone who is preferably well versed in the Naruto Universe since I am way behind on it, and who is also good with grammar and punctuation since I sometimes tend to overlook some things. Also, someone who won't mind discussing plot situations etc… Interested parties please Email me at my yahoo account which is: **scentedcandles(**underscore**)hm(**at**)yahoo(**dot**)com**. You can also see my E-mail address in my account here on the site. Thank you! Remember, that **scentecandleshm**(at)yahoo(dot)com

* * *

**Chapter Eight: **

Shikamaru was laid out in the expansive Nara backyard, under a tree on a small hill that overlooked the grazing ground of the deer that his family was so well known for breeding. For the moment, he was content. That was the good thing about going on B-ranked missions – you were allowed time-off afterwards, whether you needed it or not.

He hoped though, that the next mission he and his team of genins would be assigned was a D-rank. Something about weeding lawns or finding lost cats…baby-sitting was acceptable too.

In the meantime, Shikamaru was all about relaxing.

"Nara-sensei!"

Oh no, please no.

Not now.

"NARA-SENSEI!"

The unmistakably high-pitched tone of Miyazawa's voice made Shikamaru's muscles tense in wary apprehension at what was to come. He ignored it. Reality was all about perception anyway, right? So if he refused to acknowledge that it was Miyazawa's voice he'd heard, that would mean she wasn't really there…right?

"Shika-kun, your students are here to visit."

Shikamaru twitched. So they got his mother in one ruining his quality time too? He should have known.

"Shjka-kun…" his mother repeated again, this time emphasizing her point by nudging him (none too gently in his opinion) in the head with the toe of her shoes. "Oi Shikamaru, greet your students properly, they came a long way from town to see you."

"Hai okaasan," Shikamaru muttered with a put upon sigh as he sat up and turned to face his students. Daisuke was missing and he waited for Suzume to tell him why.

When his mother was out of earshot, Miyazawa Suzume shot him a reproachful look. "Nara-sensei, you're still living in your parent's home? Lazy…"

Shikamaru's eyebrow twitched but he ignored the impulse to point out that ANBU captain Hyuuga Neji lived at home too, in the Hyuuga estate. Instead, in the interest of saving time, he asked, "So what's this all about? And where's Daisuke?"

"We went with Daisuke to the emergency room at the hospital because he over-ate again. We ran into Shizune-san there and she recognized us as your students. She asked us to give you this!" Miyazawa produced a scroll and handed it over to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and dispelled the seal before opening the missive and reading its contents. When he was done, he rolled it up again and stood up.

There went his rest days.

Crap.

* * *

Hinata was already at the Hokage's office when Shikamaru arrived. She'd run into Shizune on her way out of the hospital and had been informed that she had been called in by the Hokage for a meeting. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her, silently asking if she knew what the purpose of the meeting was, but Hinata just shrugged lightly indicating that she herself had no idea.

Tsunade watched the exchange surreptitiously. She was pleased to note that the two of them were close enough to be able to communicate nonverbally, using only simple gestures. It took a level of intimate understanding of another person before one could correctly read their body's cues. It would make their uncertain assignment easier to handle, or so she hoped.

"Take a seat Nara, we're still waiting for two others before we begin."

Shikamaru shrugged, heeding the Godaime's words and settling himself beside Hinata on the sofa. The Hokage went back to reading whatever paper she was examining, ignoring her subordinates completely.

Shikamaru turned to Hinata, his voice pitched so that Hinata was the only one to hear him. "You seem better rested. I assume everything is going alright for you at work?"

"There haven't been a lot of emergencies lately. How did your mission go?"

"Fine, I guess. Daisuke is at the hospital. Too much food again, I swear…"

"Poor dear, I remember he was brought in a few weeks ago due to the same condition."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes wryly. "You'd think with the number of stomachaches he suffers, he'd learn a bit of self control…so far it's still not working, but I'm not giving up hope."

Hinata smiled. Shikamaru's tone was exasperated, but there was an underlying tone of fondness that he couldn't quite hide. No matter how much he complained about his charges, everyone knew how much he cared for his team.

"Hey, how're you holding up?" he asked, still thinking about Ino's worries over their Hyuuga friends

"Huh? What do you mean by that Shika-kun?"

"Ino's worried about you."

"Ino-san is very sweet to worry about me, but I'm fine Shikamaru-kun," Hinata assured him. "Neji-niisan just got back from his mission. Lee-kun was brought to the hospital, but when I dropped by, Sakura was already there tending to him."

"Well at least something good came out of it."

Hinata smiled. "Niisan said more or less the same thing."

"How's Neji? He got off unscathed?"

Hinata sighed and looked at the watch on her wrist. "No. Niisan has been injured as well. I'm supposed to meet with him later so I can tend to his injuries. I hope we finish with this meeting soon." She wanted to go home and see Neji.

"Well, it's got to start first before we finish," Shikamaru said. He too, wanted to go home. He sighed. "You know, we should all get together to visit Lee tomorrow, if we can."

"That would be really nice. I hope Chouji, Kiba and Shino come back to the village soon. It's been so long already."

"It has been a while since all of us got together, hasn't it?"

"Yes," Hinata agreed. Too long.

* * *

Neji told Hinata a highly abridged version of the mission he had with Lee. He knew she worried about him and his particular mission had been a little difficult to accomplish. The document he and Lee had been sent to retrieve had been surprisingly well guarded not only by several high ranking shinobis from the Hidden Grass that the daimyo had hired but also by several well trained samurais. It had been rather bloody and Neji had incurred several gashes and bruises and his ANBU uniform had borne the taints of blood from himself and his enemies as well as several burns due to a fire juutsu he was barely able to avoid.

"I'm glad you're alright," Hinata said as she dabbed antiseptic on a particular nasty wound near his ANBU tattoo. She frowned - it had started to get infected. He'd already had a bath and cleaned his wounds but she wasn't about to take any chances.

Hinata was confident in Neji's abilities as a shinobi. But after so many missions without appropriate recuperation time, she was starting to get worried about him. He was pushing himself too hard. She rested her forehead on his arm, feeling the warmth of his skin against hers.

"I apologize for having worried you," Neji's quiet voice barely disturbed the silence. "I will take better care of myself next time, I promise."

Hinata smiled a little, though she knew he couldn't see. Neji did always know what she was thinking. She set about applying medicinal herbs to his wounds.

The calming scent of the cream made Neji relax. That was one of the good things about Hinata's herbs. They didn't smell quite as pungent as others did. He watched the play of shadows across her skin as she worked and noticed that she looked a little worn. "Hinata-sama…"

"Hai?"

"You haven't been getting much sleep, have you Hinata-sama?"

"Neither have you," Hinata said back as she touched a fingertip to the lavender shadows beneath Neji's eyes. There was a small gash on his cheek, not deep enough to scar, but the sight of it tore at Hinata. "You've been over working yourself. I worry that something bad would happen to you…"

Neji felt that warm flow of Hinata's chakra and felt the flesh knit together almost instantaneously, the skin tingling a little from the accelerated healing. He caught Hinata's hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I already promised you I won't go on a mission for a while, remember? Don't worry about me."

"I can't help it. It's what I do."

Outside the small hut in Hinata's private garden, there was only silence and the slight pitter-patter of rain. Neji had opted to wait for her there instead of at home. The water formed an insulating liquid barrier around them that seemed to separate the two of them from the rest of the world.

Hinata finished tending to Neji and went to put her supplies away. When she turned back to him, she saw that he was in the process of donning on his shirt. Hinata watched him, thinking how odd it was that seeing him get dressed seemed much more intimate to her than when she'd been bandaging his wounds.

Neji sensed her perusal and turned his head. "Hinata-sama?"

She managed to give him a small smile. "Would you like some tea niisan? It should help you relax. Its still raining and you shouldn't get your bandages wet.

Neji stared at Hinata for a long time before nodding. "Saa. Arigato."

OOO

"Tadaima," Kakashi said as he appeared in a puff of smoke in the living room of the house he shared with Kurenai.

"Okaeri," came his wife's reply. "I'm in the kitchen."

Kakashi padded over to the kitchen and kissed the top of his daughter's head. "Hi angel, did you miss papa?"

Kaoru giggled up at him from her baby-chair.

"I saw Sasuke with Sakura today."

"What else is new?"

"They just got out of a meeting with Tsunade-sama. Hinata and Shikamaru were in there with them," Kakashi informed his wife as he bent down to kiss her cheek.

Kurenai inclined her head slightly so that their lips met. She pulled back when Kakashi would have deepened the kiss. "That's an odd collection of people. Were there any problems with Sasuke's seal? Is he okay? What about Hinata and Sakura?

"They're fine," Kakashi said with a wave of his hand as if dispelling his wife's worries. "The Hokage is just sending them on an escort mission."

"Oh. I wonder why them?" Kurenai looked thoughtful. "Escort missions don't usually need two specialist medic-nins. So then what did Tsunade-sama want with you?"

"You mean, aside from my young, taut, virile body?"

Kurenai glared.

Kakashi's eyes crinkled in amusement. "You know how graduation for genins is coming up? She asked me to take on a team again."

"Yes, you've mentioned that before. Did you decide to take on the job?"

"That's the thing," Kakashi said with an amused laugh. "I couldn't really say no to it now. Especially when I heard who the members were going to be…"

* * *

Sakura still couldn't quite believe that she was being sent out on a mission. It had been a rather long time since she'd done something not medical related and she was looking forward to working with Hinata as well. Perhaps the mission would bring them closer. It would be nice to have a female confidant.

Another thing that Sakura liked about the mission was that she would be working with Sasuke! And without Naruto too! Not that she disliked Naruto, they were all friends and were a great team, but when those two worked together, they usually got into competitive fights which left Sakura to mediate between them. With Hinata and Shikamaru as her teammates, she was free to spend more quality time with Sasuke during the mission!

She smiled just thinking of it.

She went and collected the files about Lee's case and double checked how the tests went. So far so good, he was on his way to recovery if he didn't push himself too hard too fast. That was the difficult part, keeping him in bed long enough for his body to heal.

Sakura heaved a sigh and smiled softly, thinking fondly of the young and awkward boy Lee had been the first time she'd seen him. Even then, he'd been all passion and fire and unshakable faith.

"You know someone else can take over his case for you. You haven't had a proper rest in a while and you have a mission coming up to prepare for, right?" an elder medic said.

"It's okay. I have a vested interest on this one," Sakura answered as she turned to head for Lee's roo

"Oh. Boyfriend then?" one of the nurses teased.

"No," Sakura said with a shake of her head. "A good friend though; a very good friend…"

* * *

Sakura was tending to Lee – she'd taken it upon herself to personally make sure he was healing up nicely – when the door opened to admit Shikamaru and Neji inside. She smiled at them in greeting, hiding her surprise.

Shikamaru raised his hand in a lazy greeting while Neji nodded politely.

Lee sat up in bed to welcome them and uttered his usual enthusiastic ramblings, making Neji wince and Shikamaru sigh in irritation. "You're too noisy."

"Settle down, will you?" Neji said as he sat down on the chair by Lee's bed. "Save your strength for Ten-Ten and the others. They're supposed to show up here soon to visit you. Gai-sensei been here yet?"

Lee's smile twinkled. "Hai, Gai-sensei is the best!" Tears ran down his cheek as he went on to deliver an impassioned speech about love, the power of youth and perseverance.

"You're almost as noisy as Ino and that's saying something," Shikamaru told Lee with an exasperated shake of his head.

"I don't think he heard you," Neji commented, "He's too far gone."

Sakura blinked. They were friends? All three of them? Who'd have thought that such unlikely companions could become good friends?

In the background, Lee was still going strong in his speech about the expectations of people from him, the magnificent green beast of Konoha.

"Maybe I should use my shadow manipulation technique to shut him up, huh?"

Sakura gave Shikamaru a "Don't you dare' look that prompted him to raise both hands in a gesture of appeasement. "I was only kidding… well, half kidding anyway…"

"Lee-kun, you should settle back down in bed. You're aggravating your injuries and that's not good for you at all…" Sakura said, watching as Lee seemed to bounce around the walls in his excitement. It seemed that trying to curb his enthusiasm was easier said than done.

"Don't worry Sakura! I'm a genius at hard work and my body can take a whole lot more punishment than this and still keep moving!" Lee declared, seemingly prepared to do jumping jacks to prove it too.

Eight flying projectiles whizzed into the room and embedded themselves into the wall with solid sounding thunks. "That should hold you," Ten-Ten said smugly as she walked in and smiled at a stunned Lee who was pinned to the wall by the sleeves of his hospital gown thanks to Ten-Ten's kunais.

Shikamaru let out an impressed whistle. The kunais had gone through to the hilt. "Nice…"

Ten-Ten smirked at him and saluted as she went to retrieve her kunais from the wall. "He wasn't giving you much trouble was he, Sakura?"

Sakura still couldn't quite still her heart from the surprise of the flying projectiles whizzing by her. For a moment, she'd thought they would hit Lee. She'd heard that Ten-Ten was an expert marksman but she'd never before quite witnessed the extent of the kunoichi's skills. "Uh…no, no he wasn't…"

Hinata followed Ten-Ten inside, carrying a large basket filled with food. "Hello Lee-kun," she said bowing in greeting. "Sakura-san, nice to see you!"

"Hi Hinata…"

Lee stopped bickering with Ten-Ten to offer Hinata a wide smile and a thank you for visiting before resuming protesting Ten-Ten's use of the kunai to still him.

"Well you were bouncing off the walls again, suits you right!"

"You're so mean Ten-Ten!" Lee said when he was freed. "Great aim though."

"You should be resting you know, the sooner you get well the sooner you get out of here. You should be ashamed. Sakura is working so hard to help you heal up; you should do your part too!"

Sakura smiled and shook her head, "It was no trouble. Lee's a friend." She wasn't sure but she thought she heard Shikamaru mutter _'And therein lay the problem'_ and share a smirk with Neji. Feeling flustered, she finished Lee's examination and smiled at him. "Everything seems to be in order. You just need to really rest up because your tore a few muscles and that needs time to heal naturally. Healing jutsus can only get you so far."

Lee nodded and thanked her.

"We're very thankful for Sakura-san's care of Lee," Hinata said, smiling in her direction.

"Well, you help take care of someone very important to me too," Sakura said with a soft smile. "I'll see you later then," she said with a nod as she turned to leave, the sound of their cheerful conversation making something twist uncomfortably at the pit of her stomach. It made her queasy and she made to open the door to get out only to have it open from the other side.

Ino was standing there, with a huge flower arrangement in her arms and a big smile on her face; a smile, which faltered a bit at the sight of Sakura in front of her.

Sakura felt like she was a kid again, standing across from Ino and throwing that ribbon – their friendship – back in Ino's face.

"Ino, what took you so long?" Shikamaru complained from inside the room. He was eating a sandwich that Hinata had brought.

Ino's eyes flickered from Sakura to the room beyond. "Yeah sorry, there was a last minute customer, plus I got Lee these!"

Sakura made to pass Ino by, convinced that the blonde wouldn't possibly want anything to do with her. Not after all these years. Konoha may have been a village, but it was a large one and it had been years since they had last conversed.

"Sakura, thanks for taking care of Lee," Ino said quietly.

Sakura's eyes widened fractionally as she met Ino's gaze. The blonde was smiling a bit. A token of good will, it was. Sakura felt shamed once more at thinking the worst of her friend, no, not a friend any longer but a former one, the years stretching out like a chasm to divide them.

Ino's eyes, her smile, were sincere.

The shame intensified in Sakura. She was always doing that, thinking the worst of Ino and every single time, the blonde had proven her wrong.

"_I'm sorry…"_ Sakura wanted to say. Sorry for ending our friendship, sorry for being a bad person to you, sorry for choosing Sasuke over you, sorry for all the wasted years that I could have been your friend…

Instead of saying this though, all she did was smile back and say "No problem."

And when she left and the door closed behind her, admitting Ino inside, where her friends were, Sakura felt something flutter in her belly. It wasn't the tight queasiness of before but something softer, an unwinding.

She and Ino weren't friends again, not yet…but there, in that small hesitant smile that they had shared, was a maybe that said that perhaps, in time, they could be again.

* * *

"The medics are much stricter now that they were before…" Shikamaru commented as they settled down for a picnic on the hospital grounds. It had taken a lot of begging on their part (minus Neji of course) before the nurses allowed them to take Lee out of his room. Not only did they have to beg but there had been forms to sign and identity verifications tests to go through before they were allowed this small excursion.

"It's a good policy." Ten-Ten said. "You know how ninjas have enemies and we're so vulnerable when we're injured or sick. It makes me feel better to know that the hospital is very careful when it comes to admitting people and allowing the access to the patients."

"Shizune-san said that the Hokage-sama spent a lot of time and energy overhauling how the hospital and the medics worked," Hinata chipped in. "It seemed that the previous policies did not meet her standard at all. Now we have laboratories and people working on advancing and exploring different branches of medicine. It's a really exciting time to be a medic."

"Wah Hinata-chan! You're so cute when you get so passionate about your work!" Lee said, tears in his eyes. He gave her two thumbs-up and a big, sparkling smile.

"A-Arigato, Lee-kun…"

"You're freaking her out, Lee." Ten-Ten said with a roll of her eyes.

Lee's eyes got even tearier. "Is that true Hina-chan?"

"Is it me or is his lips trembling?" Shikamaru wondered aloud.

Neji didn't even want to _look_ in that direction.

"O-Of course not Lee-kun!" Hinata appeased. They all knew how Lee could be when he got into his crying jags. To divert an impending disaster, Hinata latched on to the first thing that came to her frantic mind. "Shikamaru-kun! How is Daisuke-kun?"

"Oh Chouji's cousin? What happened?" Lee inquired, leaning forward.

"He was hospitalized yesterday, but he was released later on in the evening. He had an upset stomach because he over-ate…" Shikamaru explained.

"He always overeats! You need to set more boundaries for him Shikamaru. I mean, remember how I tried to regulate Chouji's diet when we were genins?"

Shikamaru did remember. He also remembered quite a lot of evenings spent watching Chouji eat and complain about Ino after she had gone home. He didn't think Ino would appreciate that little tidbit so he decided to keep mum instead and simply grunted.

The girls went on to discuss the pros and cons of several diets and what went well with this and that type of exercise regimen. Lee, in typical Lee fashion, joined in with aplomb. Neji occasionally corrected them or offered an opinion here and there.

Well, Shikamaru supposed he really should try and discipline his genins more, but he didn't want to be a strict task master. Every one had their own pace and he didn't want to force them to grow faster than the rate they were comfortable in. His own Jounin instructor had made Shikamaru a believer in individual handling. Asuma had handled Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru differently and they each had benefited from this specialized form of treatment. Shikamaru wanted to impart that to his students.

Still, he supposed a bit of tough love now and again was required. Perhaps if they saw how strict other teachers were, they might show him a little more appreciation? Suzume had been rather annoying lately, what with her reproachful looks as if Shikamaru's very way of life was a sore disappointment to her. It had begun to grate on his nerves.

And too, Shikamaru still didn't know who he was going to leave in charge of them while he went away on the escort mission. In the background, he heard Ino and Hinata asking Lee what sort of physical therapies he was getting while Ten-Ten asked Neji what he was going to do while Lee recuperated.

"Will you go out on solo missions or captain a squad of ANBU?"

Neji answered that he was going to take time off from missions for the meantime. "I have it on very good authority that I was overexerting my self and need time to rest like any normal human being."

"That's true…" Ten-Ten nodded in approval. "Everyone needs time to rest."

Ino smiled. "And by expert opinion I bet you mean Hinata, right?"

Shikamaru grinned suddenly as an idea came to him. "Say Neji, what do you think about taking on my genins? Since Hinata and I are going away on a mission…how about you take charge of them for a little while?"

Neji lifted an eyebrow. "I don't think I'll be very good with instructing children. I have a very low tolerance for insolence and rowdiness."

"Well, they're good kids. And I think they would benefit from your instruction." Shikamaru smiled benignly. "You can be as strict with them as you want. Enforce your rules and make sure they follow them. I mean, I trust you and I know that I'll leave them in capable hands…"

"I'll think it over…"

"You'll be great at it niisan. Remember, you taught me and I improved a lot because of you," Hinata encouraged with a smile.

"Though Neji is a hard-ass perfectionist…" Ten-Ten piped up.

"Perfection should be the ultimate goal of every ninja!" Lee declared passionately, displacing a cup of orange juice and making Ten-Ten jump up with a yelp to avoid getting wet. "Gomen!"

"Don't worry, its fine…" Ten-Ten said.

Ino and Hinata laughed as they tried to mop up the spill. Lee tried to help to but ended up getting juice everywhere. Ten-Ten tried to convince him to stop trying to help while Hinata and Ino continued to laugh. Shikamaru sighed and mumbled about it all being too tiresome and Ino shot him a venomous look and demanded "what did you say?"

Neji smiled, relaxed in the company of his friends. He watched Hinata smile and talk freely, as if without a care in the world and thought about how sad it was that both he and Hinata were more at ease in the company of their friends than with their relatives. He was glad though, that Hinata at least had a group she could run to for support. When the time came that he could no longer stay by her side, he was glad there were others that he could trust to take care of her.

"So Neji, what do you say? You can come meet them and decide for yourself…but I'd really appreciate it if you take them on while I'm gone," Shikamaru said. "I trust you to take good care of them." Which was true, Shikamaru knew Neji did not shirk on his responsibilities and he really was the best person Shikamaru could entrust his students to.

_Trust huh? _Neji nodded. "Alright, I'll meet with them. Then, we'll see…" The idea though, was growing on him. With Hinata gone, Shikamaru's pupils might serve as a good diversion to keep him occupied. _I trust you and the others to take care of Hinata-sama too…please, please when I can no longer do so… please take care of her…_

Shikamaru nodded. "Fair enough… thanks."

* * *

Sasuke was on his way to the hospital for his 'check-up' which consisted mostly of Hinata looking at his seal and testing to see if it reacted strangely to chakra emissions and if the seal was holding up under various strains and conditions. From a distance, he could make out Sakura's pink hair as she waited for him at the entrance of the hospital.

"You don't need to always wait for me," he told her.

Sakura's cheeks turned a slight rose. "Its okay, I don't mind."

"…"

"I was tending to Lee earlier and Hinata came to visit. I had no idea Ino and Ten-Ten and Hinata were friends. Neji Hyuuga and Shikamaru were there too." Sakura smiled though it was rather sad at the edges. "I guess its natural for people who grew up together to become friends, right?"

"I guess so…" Sasuke said, though he really didn't have much experience in that department. If anything, Sakura probably knew more about it than he did. What was it that Kakashi had told him?

"_You're Emotionally Retarded Sasuke, that's what you are…" _

Sasuke made a face. _Stupid Hentai Sensei…._

There was a pause where both Team 7 members seemed lost in their own thoughts. As always; it was Sakura who tried moved first to bridge the gap.

"Anou…I'm looking forward to our upcoming mission. It's been a while since I've worked with Sasuke-kun on a team. Just like old times."

"Except that Naruto won't be there," Sasuke pointed out.

"Yes, well…I've worked with Naruto a lot without Sasuke-kun so…" Sakura shrugged, losing her train of thought. Sasuke's statement had startled her. "Next time, hopefully we can all go on missions together. The three of us training with Kakashi-sensei has been enjoyable."

Sasuke shrugged. He supposed it had been enjoyable, in its own oddly annoying way, what with Kakashi being a perverted old man and Naruto insisting on Sasuke's homosexuality. Come to think of it…he had been getting a few weird looks from people (men) lately…

_Naruto you stupid idiot! Now you've made me paranoid on top of everything else! _

"Neh, Sasuke-kun, are you excited to go out on a mission again?"

Sasuke thought about it. Was he excited? The truth was that, he hadn't expected to even be assigned a mission, especially one that would allow him outside of Konoha walls. After all, he had left before hadn't he? Weren't they even a little concerned that he might go and turn traitor again?

But then of course he couldn't really leave, could he? Konoha was the only place he knew where he could get the help he needed to contain the monstrosity Orochimaru had implanted in him, should something go wrong.

Judging from the course of his life so far, Sasuke thought that was very likely.

He didn't even mind that he was to play subordinate to Nara who had been a less than average ninja at the academy when they had both attended. Who would have thought that the lazy kid would be able to attain the rank of Jounin at such a young age? Shit, Neji Hyuuga was an ANBU Captain (though that really wasn't a surprise since everyone had expected the Hyuuga prodigy to be a success).

A lot of people had changed, had matured, and Sasuke couldn't help but be disoriented now and again whenever he saw familiar places and people and realized that things were different…the world had moved on.

He was trying his best to catch up though. He was determined to catch up. Sasuke Uchiha was _not_ a loser. The idea of being left behind did not sit well with him at all. "I'm not sure what I feel about the mission…"

_But I'll do my best. _

_I won't fail. _

_I've had enough of failure already. _

Sasuke and Sakura stopped at a door with fingerprint identification as well as chakra verification. After going through the screening process, the door opened to admit the two of them inside.

Hinata looked up and bowed to Sasuke and Sakura both.

Sasuke saw that the Hokage too was there. That didn't bode well for him. Her presence meant she would most likely drain his chakra before making Hinata examine him. That process was not only tiring but also painful. He was not looking forward to it.

"Sakura, have a hospital beds ready for Uchiha. This session is going to be a little more intense than usual. Come back and fetch him in an hour."

"Uchiha-san, please take of your shirt and stay at the center of the warded circle…" Hinata said, motioning to the space in front of her.

Sasuke sighed, feeling his muscles tense in apprehension at what was to come. When he'd settled himself, the Tsunade approached him, her heels making clicking noises with each step she took.

"Alright then," the Hokage said when she too was inside the circle. "Let's begin."

"Please brace yourself…" Hinata said to Sasuke.

And that was the last thing he was aware of for what seemed to be a very long time.

* * *

**A/N: **Wah! Not much Sasuke-Hinata this chapter but more of him and Hinata interactions to come next! Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this part. I am so behind on Naruto that this fic of mine is already AU but in any case, I hope you still continue to support it. And please, if anyone is willing to help by being my beta, drop me a line. Thank you. Oh and please, **please review**.


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